The Indigenous Peoples of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) have inhabited Jolet jen Anij (gifts from God) since time immemorial. Marshall Islands peoples are navigators and the culture is matrilineal. Spanish explorers were the first European visitors to RMI in the 15^th century. John Marshall, a British explorer after whom the islands are named, sailed through in 1799. Spain claimed the islands as a territory in 1874. American missionaries arrived and RMI became a German protectorate in 1885. At the start of World War I, Japan took control of the islands. The Indigenous Peoples pursued sovereignty and became part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) administered by the United States of America at the conclusion of World War II.^[i] RMI is still deeply marked by the legacy of the crimes committed against its people by the US, which conducted 67 nuclear tests on Bikini and Enewetak Atolls between 1946 and 1958, while under the US administration.^[ii]

RMI came into being as a sovereign nation when the constitution was adopted on 1 May 1979. RMI negotiated for their right to self-determination through a Compact of Free Association from the US-administered UN Trusteeship, entering into force for full independence on 21 October 1986. RMI is one of only four atoll nations in the world and joined the UN in 1991. RMI consists entirely of low-lying coral atolls with 29 separate atolls containing 1,225 islands, 870 reef systems and 160 species of coral. Majuro is the capital and the RMI is ruled by a constitutional government and functions as a parliamentary democracy in free association with the US.^[iii]

The resilience of RMI is evident in its culture and the long history of resistance to colonialism and imperial designs that have denied its people their fundamental dignity, including the legacy of US nuclear testing. Today, RMI is widely recognized as a frontline state in the global climate crisis. The RMI demands justice through bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, taking a leading role in the Pacific Islands Forum and at the UN –particularly within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN Human Rights Council– leading on resolutions to create new special procedures and thematic studies important to Indigenous Peoples and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).^[iv]

^[i] Pacific RISA. (N.d.). Republic of the Marshall Islands. Accessed 27 February 2026: https://www.pacificrisa.org/places/republic-of-the-marshall-islands/

^[ii] The Republic of the Marshall Islands and National Nuclear Commission reply to call for inputs of the Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights. (2025). Access to Justice and Effective Remedies in the Context of Toxics. Accessed 27 February 2026: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/toxicwastes/cfis/justice-remedies/subm-access-justice-effective-sta-republic-marshall-islands-ssion.pdf

^[iii] The Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Marshall Islands to the United Nations. (N.d.). Country Facts. Accessed 27 February 2026: https://www.un.int/marshallislands/marshallislands/country-facts; See also: Pacific RISA. (N.d.). Republic of the Marshall Islands. Accessed 27 February 2026: https://www.pacificrisa.org/places/republic-of-the-marshall-islands/

^[iv] UN News. (31 October 2024). UN expert calls for action as Marshall Islands face dual displacement crisis. Accessed 27 February 2026: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1156346