Four Years in Vanuatu : what we have built together, and what comes next

As my mission as Ambassador of France to Vanuatu comes to an end after nearly four years in Port Vila, and as I prepare to leave within the next few hours, this is the moment to look back at what we have accomplished together and what is taking shape for the years ahead.

We have not resolved every disagreement between us. Some questions remain difficult. I do not minimise them. But no single unresolved issue should obscure a relationship that has become deeper, more useful and more human. Mature relations between states require us to defend our positions through dialogue while continuing to work together wherever our peoples’ interests converge.

What we have achieved together

The first change has been political. During the twenty-nine years before 2022, Vanuatu received only one French ministerial visit. In the first eight months of my mission, it welcomed two ministers, two junior ministers and President Emmanuel Macron — the first French President to visit since independence. Prime Minister Jotham Napat was later received at the Élysée Palace, and Deputy Prime Minister Koanapo at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs a month ago. We now speak frankly at the highest level. France also strengthened its capacity to act by adding five expatriate positions at the Embassy and establishing permanent offices for AFD and France Volontaires in Port Vila.

From the outset, I wanted our cooperation to extend beyond Port Vila and Efate. Today, French-supported projects reach communities in all six provinces, including on some of the most remote islands.

I was privileged to travel extensively throughout the archipelago. I remember with emotion a 50-kilometre journey by banana boat from Vao, on Malekula, to Luganville after my flight was cancelled. I also remember crossing Ambrym on foot from south to north and spending a night under canvas at the foot of the volcano. These journeys helped me understand how geography shapes daily life. They made this posting a journey of encounters as much as a diplomatic mission.

Our cooperation has combined major investments with smaller projects producing immediate results : equipment for schools in all six provinces ; the library at Melsisi ; a community building in Vao ; support for women’s associations ; and initiatives in food security, water access, culture, sport and environmental protection.

For hundreds of children from families with limited means, it has meant access to high-quality education. France devotes nearly €2 million — around VT270 million — each year to scholarships, including around 350 needs-based scholarships at the Lycée français international de Port-Vila, as well as support for Ni-Vanuatu master’s and doctoral students. France has also invested around €6 million — roughly VT800 million — in the National University of Vanuatu, supporting academic programmes and infrastructure, including a beautiful amphitheatre that regularly hosts major public and institutional events.

We have promoted a living francophonie through schools, the University, the Alliance française and the Maison des Francophonies. French is not simply part of Vanuatu’s history ; it is a living language, spoken and renewed every day by Ni-Vanuatu. We have also supported research from archaeology and linguistics to volcanology, climate science and medicine. French researchers work alongside Ni-Vanuatu colleagues, often with the Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta : research conducted not on Vanuatu, but with Vanuatu.

Safer communities have also been a priority. France and Japan financed seismic stations, while French institutions supported high-resolution climate projections. Only a week ago, again in partnership with Japan, we inaugurated the country’s first purpose-built dojo with the Vanuatu Judo Federation. Japan financed the building ; France provided its solar power, lighting and ventilation. Vanuatu judo already had the talent, results and determination ; together, we provided the facility it lacked.

The past four years were marked by cyclones Judy, Kevin and Lola in 2023 ; the 2024 crisis in New Caledonia, which disrupted air links for several months ; and the devastating earthquake of 17 December 2024, which caused widespread damage in central Port Vila and destroyed our Embassy. Through the FRANZ partnership, France, Australia and New Zealand worked under Vanuatu’s leadership to evacuate hundreds of people, deliver humanitarian supplies and reach isolated communities. During the New Caledonia crisis, French military aircraft also transported Ni-Vanuatu students, French citizens and patients requiring medical care.

The French Armed Forces in New Caledonia (FANC), based around 500 kilometres from Port Vila, can provide rapid assistance when Vanuatu requests it. They have supported emergency relief, rebuilt classrooms, carried out maritime patrols with Ni-Vanuatu officers on board, and provided training. Their value lies in responding to Vanuatu’s needs and strengthening our ability to act together.

Through regular public communication, particularly online, I tried to explain what our projects achieve and show audiences abroad Vanuatu’s people, cultures, landscapes, achievements and challenges. France should be better understood in Vanuatu, and Vanuatu should be better known in France and beyond.

What is now under way

Much of what we launched is only beginning to deliver its full benefits. Families in Pentecost will gain better access to primary healthcare through a €5 million AFD programme — around VT675 million — to reconstruct, rehabilitate and equip three health facilities at Melsisi, Ledungsivi and Point Cross, while strengthening the training of health workers.

Students will benefit from a separate €3 million programme, extended until 2028, supporting youth, education, employability and francophone culture, including a new building at the National University. Safer and more efficient air travel is also being supported through a €500,000 programme bringing together the French and Vanuatu civil aviation authorities.

Communities will be better connected and protected through the TAMTAM submarine cable. The French government is contributing €18 million — around VT2.4 billion — specifically to its SMART and climate-monitoring component. Its seabed sensors will help detect earthquakes and tsunamis, while the wider project strengthens digital connectivity.

Farmers will be better equipped to adapt to climate change through the €3.3 million ResiCo programme, promoting more diverse and resilient agricultural systems across nine Vanuatu islands and in New Caledonia. Other initiatives will strengthen volcanic monitoring, ecosystem restoration and disaster preparedness.

France Volontaires will take decentralisation and reciprocity further. Over the coming months, around thirty volunteers deployed through French programmes will serve across all six provinces in education, francophonie, agriculture, sport, partnerships and disaster-risk management. France will be the only country with volunteers in every province. At the same time, three Ni-Vanuatu volunteers will undertake year-long assignments in New Caledonia — the first reciprocal missions of this kind.

Fifteen community micro-projects, co-financed with the Netherlands, will be implemented across all six provinces. Other work includes rainwater storage, renovation of the surgical building at Norsup Hospital, support for Tanna growers and expanded volcanic monitoring.

Our Embassy, relocated after the earthquake, is preparing for the future : extension works will bring a new building out of the ground to welcome the public and house consular services.

As I leave, I thank Vanuatu’s authorities, chiefs, public servants and partners in civil society, business and the diplomatic community. I also thank Team France, the French and Franco-Vanuatu community, and all those who helped turn cooperation into practical results.

Above all, I thank the communities and families across the islands who welcomed us into their villages and homes, shared meals and stories with us, and helped us understand their country. Those encounters gave meaning to every project and journey.

For my family and me, these years have been unforgettable. Our daughters have spent an important part of their childhood here. They have grown up surrounded by Vanuatu’s sea and islands, its languages and cultures, and the generosity and warmth of its people. Vanuatu has been far more than an assignment : it has been a profound human adventure that has left an indelible mark on our lives.

We will leave Port Vila, but Vanuatu will not leave us. It will remain in our memories, in our friendships and in our hearts.