Hilda Heine facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Her Excellency Hilda Heine
Official portrait, 2024

8th and 10th President of the Marshall Islands
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 January 2024
Preceded by	David Kabua
In office 28 January 2016 – 13 January 2020
Preceded by	Casten Nemra
Succeeded by	David Kabua

Personal details
Born	Hilda Cathy Heine (1951-04-06) 6 April 1951 (age 74) Jaluit Atoll, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (now Marshall Islands)
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Thomas Kijiner Jr
Relations	Carl Heine (grandfather)
Children	Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner
Education	University of Oregon (BA) University of Hawaii, Manoa (MA) University of Southern California (EdD)

Hilda Cathy Heine (born 6 April 1951) is an important leader and educator from the Marshall Islands. She has been the president of the Marshall Islands since 2024. She also served as president from 2016 to 2020.

Hilda Heine was the first woman to lead any independent country in Micronesia. She was also the first person from the Marshall Islands to earn a doctorate, which is the highest university degree. Before becoming a politician, she worked as a teacher and counselor. She also helped women's rights through an organization called Women United Together Marshall Islands.

Her political journey began when she was chosen for the Nitijeļā (the Marshall Islands' parliament) in 2011. She became the Minister of Education. In 2016, the parliament chose her to be president after the previous president, Casten Nemra, was removed. After becoming president, Hilda Heine became very active in talking about climate change with other world leaders.

She was not re-elected as president in 2020. But she continued to serve as a member of parliament. She also worked with important educational groups like the East–West Center and the University of the South Pacific. In 2024, she was chosen to be president again, winning against David Kabua.

Early Life and Education
- Family and Early Career
Political Career
Policies and Views
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Hilda Cathy Heine was born on Jaluit Atoll on April 6, 1951. She went to college in the United States. She earned her first degree from the University of Oregon in 1970.

Later, she earned a master's degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1975. In 2004, she earned her doctorate in education from the University of Southern California. She was the first person from the Marshall Islands to achieve a doctorate.

Family and Early Career

Hilda Heine's family has a history of being involved in politics and helping their community. Her brother, Carl Heine, was a leader in the parliament. Her cousin, Dwight Heine, was the first Marshallese person to hold a high position in the government of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. He was also the first to speak out against nuclear testing near the Marshall Islands.

Her grandfather, Carl Heine, was a missionary who was executed during World War II. Her daughter, Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner, is a well-known poet and activist. Hilda Heine is married to Thomas Kijiner Jr.

Hilda Heine worked as a teacher at Marshall Islands High School in Majuro from 1975 to 1980. Then she was a school counselor until 1982. She was the president of the College of the Marshall Islands from 1990 to 1992. From 1993 to 1995, she was the secretary of education in Majuro.

Between 1995 and 2012, she worked for an organization called Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) in Hawaii. She held different roles there, including researcher and program director.

Heine also helped start a women's organization called Women United Together Marshall Islands (WUTMI). Through this group, she worked to help stop violence in homes. She was also part of several boards and commissions focused on education and health.

Political Career

Becoming Minister of Education

Hilda Heine first became a member of the Nitijeļā (parliament) in the 2011 Marshallese general election. She won a seat representing Aur Atoll. She was the only woman elected to parliament that year.

President Litokwa Tomeing chose her to be the Minister of Education. In this role, she worked to improve test scores in schools. She also helped start a special program called PACMED in 2017. This program helped teachers in the Pacific get master's degrees. She even taught a class about education and climate change.

First Time as President (2016)

Heine in 2016

Heine was re-elected to parliament in 2015. Three women were elected that year, including her. On January 4, 2016, Casten Nemra became president. He won by just one vote. It was expected that Nemra would keep Heine as Minister of Education because of her experience.

However, Heine chose not to join Nemra's government. She and her two sons, who were also in parliament, decided to join the group that opposed Nemra. This was a key reason why Nemra was removed from the presidency on January 26.

The very next day, parliament met to choose a new president. Hilda Heine formed her own group of supporters. Out of 30 members, 24 voted for her. She was sworn in as President of the Marshall Islands on January 28, 2016.

Hilda Heine made history as the first female president of the Marshall Islands. She was also the first woman to lead any independent country in the Pacific Islands. People sometimes called her the "mother of the nation." She felt that being a woman helped her get chosen, as she seemed like a calmer choice. However, she also felt more pressure as the first female president.

Her First Presidency (2016–2020)

When President Heine formed her government, she chose a team of ministers. She wanted her government to work together on issues and make decisions based on facts, not just social pressure. In her first year, she introduced a plan called Agenda 2020: A Framework for Progress. This plan helped guide her government's work.

When the Zika virus spread in 2016, Heine declared a health emergency.
In April 2016, a severe drought hit the Marshall Islands, and she declared a disaster.
She helped create the Pacific Women Leaders Coalition in 2017. This group helps female politicians in the region work together on issues important to women.
She supported the Miss Marshall Islands pageant, seeing it as a way for women to become leaders.
She also started a program to give small business loans to women.
In 2017, she created the National Nuclear Commission.
After a study showed a link between poverty and children's growth, she got funding from the World Bank for a childhood development program.

In 2018, there was a disagreement in parliament about whether Rongelap Atoll should be a special area. Heine thought this idea was against the country's rules. This led to a vote to remove her from office. She survived the vote, with 16 votes for removal and 16 against. Later, it was found that some people who wanted to remove her had been offered money by developers.

Heine was the leader of the University of the South Pacific from 2019 to 2020. She also worked with the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, to create a fund that helps women's businesses in the Marshall Islands. During a 2019–2020 dengue fever epidemic, she declared a health emergency.

Between Presidencies (2020–2024)

Heine was re-elected to parliament in the 2019 Marshallese general election. However, many of her supporters lost their seats. On January 6, 2020, she lost her bid for re-election as president to David Kabua.

After this, she continued to serve in parliament. She was elected to the board of the East–West Center in 2021. In November 2021, she was chosen to be the Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council for the University of the South Pacific.

She also served as an advisor for the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference. However, she resigned on the first day due to concerns about the conference president's plans.

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached the Marshall Islands in 2022, Heine suggested ways to help people. These included using school buses for public transport, removing hospital fees, and lowering medicine prices.

Second Time as President (2024–Present)

Heine with Philippine President Bongbong Marcos in 2024

Heine was re-elected to parliament in the 2023 Marshallese general election. On January 2, 2024, she won the presidential selection against David Kabua, with 17 votes to 16. She was sworn in the next day.

Because her win was by a small number of votes, she included some of Kabua's supporters in her new government. She appointed new ministers for different areas like education, health, and finance. She also appointed a special envoy for nuclear justice and human rights.

After becoming president again, Heine said that energy was her top priority. She declared two states of emergency: one for limited food and fuel on Kili Island, and another for power problems in Majuro. She also continued talks with the United States about the Compact of Free Association (COFA). She visited Marshallese communities affected by past nuclear testing by the United States.

Policies and Views

Heine with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in 2019

Hilda Heine is a strong voice in international discussions about climate change. She often works with her daughter, Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner, who is a climate activist. Heine is worried that rising sea levels and coastal erosion are a big threat to the Marshall Islands.

She does not support moving Marshallese citizens to other countries because of climate change. Instead, she wants to find ways to raise the islands higher above sea level. She believes that fighting climate change and achieving gender equality are connected. During her first term, she proposed a plan for the Marshall Islands to become carbon neutral by 2025.

Heine is against deep sea mining and wants to protect the ocean. She also believes the United States should be responsible for the nuclear testing it did around the Marshall Islands in the 1940s and 1950s. She opposed the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear accident into the Pacific Ocean.

Heine has spoken about the relationship between the Marshall Islands and the United States. She feels that delays in U.S. funding for COFA are harming their relationship. She also thinks that the competition between China and the United States can actually help Pacific Island nations get more support. She supports Taiwan having a bigger role in the United Nations.

She has shown support for Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War. She said Ukraine is fighting for its existence, similar to how Pacific Island nations face their own challenges. To deal with high travel costs in Micronesia, Heine has suggested that leaders work to reduce the control of one airline.

Heine believes that violence against women is a major issue in the Marshall Islands. She supports creating safe places for victims. She also wants to give more resources to schools, including better pay for teachers. Other priorities for her second term include improving energy, expanding health services, getting more fresh water, raising the minimum wage, and promoting fairness for women at work. She also supports the idea of universal basic income, which means everyone would get a regular payment to help them live.