New York: While leaders of the world's powerful nations were debating climate change, war, and trade at the 81st UN General Assembly, the president of a tiny Pacific nation took the microphone and made a brief yet historic appeal to the world: "Say our name. Naoero."
His name is David Ranibok Adeang. He is the president of the country we have long known as *Nauru*. On Tuesday, speaking from the UN podium, he announced that his nation is abandoning its colonial-era pronunciation and returning to its roots. The world must now call it *Naoero*.
"I have traveled a long way," Adeang said at the start of his speech. "There are moments when a nation must remember who it has always been. For us, this is such a moment."
Say "Now-ero," not "Now-roo"
At first glance, *Nauru* and *Naoero* might look like the same word, but Adeang clearly explained the distinction.
He said, "For years, the world has known our country as *Nauru*. *Nauru* was the name heard by those who found our actual name difficult to pronounce, and that is the name the world adopted. But it is not the name our people use among themselves."
For centuries, the island's indigenous people have called it *Naoero*. This name still appears on their national coat of arms. However, English-speaking colonizers began pronouncing it *Now-roo* for their own convenience. The government has now corrected this, restoring the original pronunciation: *Now-ero*.
The president described this not as a name change, but as "an affirmation of the truth."
An 8-square-mile nation of 12,000 people
To understand *Naoero*, you need to look at a map of the world. Located in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia, it is a coral island spanning just 21 square kilometers (8 square miles), with a population of only 12,000 people. It is the world's third-smallest republic, after Vatican City and Monaco.
Its history is a story of colonialism. It was first occupied by Germany, and later—following World War I—governed jointly by Australia, Britain, and New Zealand. It gained independence on January 31, 1968.
Vast phosphate deposits discovered here in the 1970s transformed it overnight into one of the world's wealthiest nations. However, excessive mining and poor economic management pushed it to the brink of bankruptcy in the 1990s. Today, the country faces its greatest threat from climate change; sea levels are rising annually, and scientists predict that a large portion of this low-lying island could be submerged in the coming decades.
Why was there no referendum?
The government first announced plans for this name change in February 2025 and made a formal declaration in August 2025.
Initially, President Adeang had stated that a referendum would be held on the matter. However, the government later reversed its decision, issuing a statement that—following extensive discussion—a referendum was deemed unnecessary.
The statement read: "While the purpose of a referendum is to ascertain the will of the people, the name 'Naoero' was never lost; rather, it was simply waiting to be fully embraced. This identity already belongs to the people; it appears on the national emblem, is spoken within the community, and—most importantly—is permitted by the Constitution."
In June 2025, the Naoero government formally notified the UN Secretariat, and the country's name has now been updated on the official UN website. Embassies representing Australia, New Zealand, the US, and China have also begun adopting the new name.
With this change:
1. The country's three-letter international code will shift from *NRU* to *NRO*.
2. Citizens will no longer be referred to as 'Nauruan' but as *dei-Naoero*.
3. The new name will be used by the national airline and in all official documents.
What's in a name? A Great Deal
Over the past century, many countries have shed their colonial names. In 2022, Turkey asked the world to refer to it as *Türkiye* rather than "Turkey." In 2018, the African nation of Swaziland reverted to its original name, *Eswatini*. In 2020, Holland began calling itself the Netherlands.
These are not merely changes of name; they represent a struggle to reclaim one's identity. For a small nation like Nauru—whose very existence is threatened by the climate crisis—getting the world to pronounce its name correctly is a way of keeping its culture alive.
When Adeng stood in that vast UN hall and said, "Say our name," it was not just the voice of 12,000 people. It was the voice of all those communities that want the world to recognize them on their own terms and by their true names.
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