Belém, Brazil, 10 November 2025 – At the COP30 Climate Mobility Pavilion, the Global Centre for Climate Mobility (GCCM) and the Jacques Rougerie Foundation – Académie des Beaux-Arts announced their new partnership to support the Government of Tuvalu to advance a “Museum for Tuvalu.”
The partnership marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to safeguard Tuvalu’s cultural heritage amidst the existential threats posed by sea-level rise. As a flagship project of the Rising Nations Initiative (RNI) enabled by the GCCM, and harnessing the Jacques Rougerie Foundation’s leadership in biomimetic design of ocean-inspired architecture, the collaboration will advance the museum’s concept design in alignment with Tuvalu’s ongoing project to build a digital cultural repository. The museum will aim to showcase innovative, community-driven approaches to preserving identity and memory amidst the climate crisis.
“This partnership represents an important step in our journey to safeguard Tuvalu’s culture and identity,” said H.E. Maina Talia, Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change and Environment of Tuvalu. “We look forward to working closely with the GCCM and the Jacques Rougerie Foundation to design a museum that tells Tuvalu’s story to the world —with and for the Tuvaluan people.”
“This museum will hold a strong symbolic value for island nations facing sea level rise caused by climate change. Its architecture must be biomimetic, vernacular, and resolutely timeless,” said Jacques Rougerie, architect and academician, founder of the Jacques Rougerie Foundation. “It is a source of pride to move forward alongside committed partners such as the GCCM, which plays a true leadership role, and with Tuvalu, whose resilience stands as an inspiring example.”
“Through the Rising Nations Initiative, GCCM is proud to work hand in hand with Tuvalu and the Jacques Rougerie Foundation towards a historic Museum for Tuvalu,” said Prof. Kamal Amakrane, Managing Director of the GCCM. “The museum would not only preserve Tuvalu’s heritage for future generations but also align with the digital repository of Tuvaluan culture that we are building together — bridging the physical and digital worlds to protect a nation’s legacy.”
About the Global Centre for Climate Mobility:
The Global Centre for Climate Mobility (GCCM) is a global entity at the intersection of climate action and human mobility, enabling positive adaptation journeys for people and communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis, upholding their adaptive capacities and the Right to Stay. Hosted at the United Nations Office for Project Services, the GCCM is supported by champion countries, UN Agencies, the World Bank, regional organizations, philanthropies, civil society, and research institutions. The GCCM advances positive community transitions in climate-vulnerable regions through regional initiatives that support governments and frontline communities to anticipate, plan for, and respond to climate mobility, including the Africa Climate Mobility Initiative (launched in 2021), the Greater Caribbean Climate Mobility Initiative (2022), the Pacific Climate Mobility Initiative (2023), and the Coastal Cities Initiative (2025). The GCCM also enables the Rising Nations Initiative (RNI), which is dedicated to addressing the existential threats posed by sea-level rise. The GCCM is structured around four core Practices: the Knowledge & Policy Hub, the Solutions Lab, the Communities Climate Adaptation Facility (C-CAF), and the Climate Mobility Academy, through which the Centre delivers modeling & research, co-creates locally led solutions, informs policy, fosters partnerships, and builds capacity across the climate mobility ecosystem. It serves as the secretariat for the Coalition for Addressing Sea-Level Rise and its Existential Threats (C-SET), the Ocean Rise & Coastal Resilience Coalition, and the Climate Mobility Elders Group (C-MEG).
About the Rising Nations Initiative:
The Rising Nations Initiative was launched in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week in September 2022 by Pacific atoll countries facing existential threat as a result of sea level rise. For the first two years of the initiative, the focus of RNI’s work culminated around a global advocacy campaign dedicated to raising awareness and building global support for the initiative’s primary objectives. As a main partner in this effort, the GCCM team has worked very closely with Tuvalu as the initiative’s first pilot country, building strong relationships with various representatives and offices representing the Government of Tuvalu and civil society leaders.
About the Jacques Rougerie Foundation – Académie des Beaux-Arts:
Created in 2009 at the Institut de France and since 2023 hosted by the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the Jacques Rougerie Foundation encourages new generations to imagine the future through visionary, biomimetic architecture and artistic innovation inspired by the Sea and Space.
Each year, its International Architecture and Innovation Competition rewards exceptional creativity through four architecture prizes, dedicated respectively to the Sea, Space, Sea Level Rise and two art prizes that highlight works exploring the links between science, technology, and art related to nature. These prizes distinguish projects that combine scientific rigor and artistic audacity, responding to the major environmental challenges of our century.
Beyond the competition, the Foundation nurtures a vibrant global network of Junior Ambassadors, young architects, artists, engineers, and scientists who embody its values on every continent. Through their actions, they develop scientific and cultural cooperation within partner universities, lead workshops, and initiate local projects promoting sustainable innovation, heritage preservation, and ocean awareness.
Media Contacts
For GCCM: Jaclyn Licht, Strategic Communications Coordinator, Global Centre for Climate Mobility | licht@climatemobility.org
For the Jacques Rougerie Foundation – Académie des Beaux-Arts
amine.lehna@academiedesbeauxarts.fr | www.fondation-jacques-rougerie.com
