Her Excellency
Hilda Heine
Heine in 2022
8th and 10th President of the Marshall Islands
Assumed office
3 January 2024
Preceded byDavid Kabua
In office
28 January 2016 – 13 January 2020
Preceded byCasten Nemra
Succeeded byDavid Kabua
Personal details
Born
Hilda Cathy Heine

(1951-04-06) 6 April 1951
Majuro, Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands (now Marshall
Islands)
Political partyIndependent
Spouse(s)Tony Jetnil
Tommy Kijiner
Children4, including Wilbur Heine and Thomas Heine
EducationUniversity of Oregon (BA)
University of Hawaii, Manoa (MA)
University of Southern
California (EdD)

Hilda Cathy Heine (born 6 April 1951) is a Marshallese educator and politician who has served as the president of the Marshall Islands since 2024, having previously served from 2016 to 2020. Prior to assuming office, she served as the Minister of Education. She was the first individual from the Marshall Islands to earn a doctorate degree,[1] and the founder of the women's rights group Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI).[2][3]

Heine is the first woman to hold the presidency of the Marshall Islands.[4] In 2016 she was also the first female president of any Micronesian country, and only the fourth woman to serve as head of government for any independent nation in Oceania (following Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark of New Zealand and Julia Gillard of Australia).[5][6][7]

Early life and education

Heine was born on 6 April 1951 in Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands.[8] She attended college in the United States where she earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon in 1970. She earned a master's degree at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1975 and an educational doctorate at the University of Southern California in 2004.[9]

She received an honorary doctorate in philosophy from Fu Jen Catholic University in 2019.[10]

Career

President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, H.E. Hilda C. Heine walking through the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery 12 September 2017.

Heine worked at Marshall Islands High School in Majuro from 1975 through 1982, serving both as a classroom teacher and as a counselor.[9] In 2000, Heine founded Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI), a women's rights group.[11][12] Since 2005, she had been Pacific Resources for Education and Learning's (PREL) Director at the Pacific Comprehensive Assistance Center.[9] Heine participated in the 2009 with the Pacific Islands Climate Change Education Partnership. She has also been associated with the Leadership Pacific Advisory Board, the Commission on Education in Micronesia, and the Human Resources in Health Task Force.[9]

Representing Aur Atoll in the Nitijeļā (Legislature), she became Minister of Education.[13]

In January 2016 Aelon Kein Ad member Casten Nemra was elected as President of the Marshall Islands. Shortly afterwards Heine along with former Minister Thomas Heine and Wilbur Heine withdrew their support of Nemra and defected to the opposition. The decision was made after Thomas was not offered a positioned in the cabinet of Nemra.[4] Nemra was shortly afterwards removed from office in a vote of no confidence, having been in office for only two weeks. Heine was chosen as the replacement candidate by the opposition. On 27 January 2016, as sole candidate, she received 24 votes with six abstaining and three absent from the 33 members of the Nitijeļā.[14][15] Heine was sworn into office as President of the Marshall Islands on 28 January 2016.[4] She became the first woman to hold the position.[16]

On 12 November 2018, Heine survived a vote of no confidence with the outcome in votes being 16-16, falling short of the 17 votes needed.[17] Heine and Kitlang Kabua, were the only two women elected in the 2019 Marshallese general election.[18] On 6 January 2020, she lost her bid for re-election in a 12-20 vote against David Kabua.[19]

Heine was Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific (USP) from 1 July 2019 to 12 January 2020. On 12 November 2021, the USP Council elected her as Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council for a three-year term beginning 1 January 2022.[20]

She served as an advisor for the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference but resigned after the first day after reports surfaced that conference president Sultan Al Jaber would use the conference to make oil and gas deals.[21][22]

After the 2023 Marshallese general election, Heine was re-elected as President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands on 2 January 2024.[23][24] She was sworn in the next day.[25]

Personal life

She is a mother of four. In February 2016, she appointed two of her sons, Wilbur Heine and Thomas Heine as cabinet ministers.[26] Her daughter is the poet and activist Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner.[27]

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ Jetn̄il-Kijiner, Kathy. "A word about my mother". a basket of writing. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Johnson, Giff (29 January 2016). "Marshalls leadership battles end, for now". Marianas Variety. Majuro. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  3. ↑ Sallinen, Maarit; Siamomua, Amelia Kinahoi (2005). Profiles of Pacific Women. UNIFEM Pacific Regional Office. p. 13. ISBN 9789829034083.
  4. 1 2 3 Johnson, Giff (28 January 2016). "Hilda emerges as RMI President". Marshall Islands Journal. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Hilda Heine Becomes First Women President Of The RMI". East-West Center (Radio New Zealand International). 27 January 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Hilda Heine elected Marshalls president". Radio New Zealand International. 28 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "First female President Hilda Hine elected in the Marshall Islands". PACNews (Pacific Islands News Association). 27 January 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Members: President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands - Her Excellency President Hilda C. Heine". Republic of the Marshall Islands Parliament (Nitijela). Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Marshall Islands". Pacific Women in Politics. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  10. ↑ "輔仁大學全球資訊網". www.fju.edu.tw.
  11. ↑ "First Female President Hilda Hine Elected In The Marshall Islands". RNZI. Papua New Guinea Today. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  12. ↑ "Australian Volunteers International — Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI)". Australian Volunteers for International Development — Australian Government. Australian Volunteers International. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  13. ↑ Marshall Islands Land Ownership and Agricultural Laws Handbook - Strategic Information and Basic Laws. Lulu.com. 4 April 2013. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-4387-5952-4.
  14. ↑ "Hilda Heine elected first female Pacific leader as president of Marshall Islands". ABC News. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Hilda Heine elected Marshalls president". Radio New Zealand. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  16. ↑ "Statement by the Spokesperson on the election of the President of the Republic of Marshall Islands" (Press release). European Union (EEAS). 28 January 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  17. ↑ Johnson, Giff (12 November 2018). "Marshall Islands president narrowly survives no confidence vote". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 17 September 2020.
  18. ↑ Johnson, Giff (20 January 2020). "Marshalls' President Kabua's inauguration set for Monday". Radio New Zealand. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020.
  19. ↑ Losinio, Louella (6 January 2020). "RMI elects new president". PNC Guam. Archived from the original on 7 January 2020.
  20. ↑ "Dr Hilda Heine Appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chair of USP Council". SolomonTimes.com. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  21. ↑ D'Angelo, Chris (1 December 2023). "Ex-Marshall Islands President Resigns From Climate Summit Post Over Oil Scandal". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024.
  22. ↑ Folk, Zachary (1 December 2023). "COP28 Advisory Board Member Resigns Over Reports UAE Used Climate Talks To Push Fossil Fuels". Forbes. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023.
  23. ↑ Johnson, Giff (30 December 2023). "Marshall Islands election results declared as high-profile incumbents lose re-election". RNZ. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023.
  24. ↑ Huang Ya-shih; Ko Lin (2 January 2024). "Taiwan congratulates new Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine". Focus Taiwan. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024.
  25. ↑ "Hilda Heine sworn-in as President of the Marshall Islands". Radio New Zealand. 3 January 2024. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024.
  26. ↑ Lansford, Tom (27 June 2023). "Political Handbook of the World 2022-2023". CQ Press.
  27. ↑ Jetn̄il-Kijiner, Kathy. "A word about my mother". a basket of writing. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
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