Biography.guide
Home › People › Diplomat › Ben Do
Portrait of Ben Do

Ben Do

b. 1962

Prime Minister of Tuvalu since 2024

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Ben Do

Born 1962. Ben Do is a diplomat and politician.

Feleti Penitala Teo (born 9 October 1962) is a Tuvaluan politician and lawyer who is serving as the 14th prime minister of Tuvalu since 2024. He was elected to the Parliament of Tuvalu in the 2024 Tuvaluan general election, with his previous role being the executive director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).

Teo was appointed as prime minister on 26 February 2024, after he was elected unopposed by the parliament.

He is the son of Sir Fiatau Penitala Teo, who was appointed as the first Governor General of Tuvalu (1978–1986) following independence from the United Kingdom.

He has held a number of senior executive positions in multinational organizations in the Oceania region. In 2008, he served as the acting Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum. Teo has also served as the Director General of the Forum Fishery Agency (2000–2006). In December 2014 at the 11th regular session of the WCPFC in Apia, Samoa, he was appointed the executive director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), and he continued in that role until December 2022.

Education Feleti Teo received his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, and a Master of Laws degree in Public Law from Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.

Career Teo was the first Tuvaluan to serve as the Attorney General of Tuvalu and Head of Legal and Judicial Services of Tuvalu from 1991 to 2000. During Teo's tenure, Cameron Dick served as the Acting Attorney General of Tuvalu from 1995 to 1996 while Teo undertook postgraduate studies at the Australian National University in Canberra. Iakoba Italeli succeeded Teo as the Attorney General of Tuvalu in 2002.

From 2000 to 2006, he was Director General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), based in Honiara, Solomon Islands. From 2007 to 2013 he served as Deputy Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), headquartered in Fiji.

In 2014, Teo was appointed interim secretary general for the newly established regional organisation, the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF), which he held until his appointment to the WCPFC. Teo was appointed to head the WCPFC Secretariat as executive director in December 2014.

Teo was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to government.

Teo Ministry

Following his appointment as prime minister, In March 2024, Teo described his government's top priority was climate change. The development challenges Tuvalu faces were described by Teo as including the need to improve medical and educational services to Tuvalu's outer islands. and indicated that Tuvalu will seek changes to make it "workable". The statement also address Tuvalu's relations with Taiwan: "The new government wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the long-term and lasting special relationship between Tuvalu and the Republic of China, Taiwan."

In his first interview as prime minister, Teo said, “ur ties with Taiwan are purely based on democratic principles, and they have been very loyal to us." Teo said that the part of the Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union treaty he wanted to review was the clause stipulating that both countries must “mutually agree” on any security arrangements Tuvalu may want with other countries. Subsequently, Teo said he wanted arrangements to guarantee Tuvalu's sovereignty that "stop short of revising the treaty."

On 26 March 2024, Pat Conroy, Australia's Pacific minister, tabled the Falepili Union treaty in the Australian Parliament for the purpose of obtaining ratification of the treaty. Conroy stated "he new government of Tuvalu has confirmed its desire to proceed with the Falepili Union." The Falepili Union had been an issue in the 2024 Tuvaluan general election regarding its impact on the sovereignty of Tuvalu. Conroy confirmed that Australia would work with Tuvalu to ensure its sovereignty was respected; he added that "Australia commits to assist Tuvalu in responding to a major natural disaster, a health pandemic, or military aggression, predicated on Tuvalu requesting such assistance."

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Tuvalu
Education
University of Canterbury, Australian National University
Positions held
Prime Minister of Tuvalu
Awards
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Also known as
Feleti Penitala Teo

People in Ben Do's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ben Do's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ben Do?

Prime Minister of Tuvalu since 2024

When was Ben Do born?

Ben Do was born on 9 October 1962 in Tuvalu.

What is Ben Do's occupation?

Ben Do is a diplomat and politician.

What nationality is Ben Do?

Ben Do's recorded nationality: Tuvalu.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ben Do

· Wikidata: Q5441662

· DBpedia: Feleti Teo

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ben Do. https://biography.guide/ben-do/

MLA: "Ben Do." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ben-do/.

Chicago: "Ben Do." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ben-do/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:28 UTC