Micronesia’s civic space is currently rated “open”. This update covers developments relating to civic space in Micronesia from 1st April 2025 to 31st July 2026. During that period, no violation of the three core freedoms was recorded.
GENERAL
UPR highlights once more the absence of a national human rights institution
On 19th January 2026, the Federated States of Micronesia underwent their fourth Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council, resulting in 172 recommendations. As in the previous exercises, the United Nations country team indicated that the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) had not ratified any additional
core international human rights treaties. It also noted that the FSM have not taken concrete steps to establish an independent national human rights institution.
The FSM Government admits that it has not yet established a national human rights institution and underlined that a key condition to set it up is to have a Human Rights Commissioner based in each State to ensure relevance and effectiveness across the nation.
Regional workshop on the participation of Small Island Developing States in the work of the Human Rights Council
From 17th to 20th November 2025, participants from ten governments of Small Pacific Islands Developing States convened in Palikir, Pohnpei, for a Pacific Regional Workshop organised by the Human Rights Council Branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The workshop focused on the activities of the Voluntary Technical Assistance Trust Fund to support the participation of Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States in the work of the Human Rights Council and a capacity-building session on reporting to the United Nations treaty bodies.
State of emergency after passage of typhoon Sinlaku
From 9th-12th April 2026, Chuuk State was battered by a category 5 Super Typhoon that moved across the Pacific. It brought serious havoc, destroying crops and infrastructure. The Chuuk State declared a state of emergency and issued a request for international assistance.
EXPRESSION
Launch of new local media
On 1st July 2026, a new media and communications services platform was launched. Called “Micronesia Sun” it is owned by citizens and based in Phonpei. It aims to serve as a source of information for citizens within the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and Marshall Islands as well as their diasporas globally.
Improvement regarding limited internet access on the outer islands
In its report submitted for the January 2026 Universal Periodic Review, the United Nations country team indicated that the constitutional right to freedom of expression was largely respected in the Federated States of Micronesia but also that “limited Internet access, especially on the outer islands, hampered the full exercise of those rights”. It thus recommended improving structural capacity on the outer islands to address the limited Internet access.
In a July 2026 report, the World Bank exposed results of its FSM Connectivity Project, which aims at expanding digital connectivity. Over a ten-year period, the project reached 88 percent of the population, internet use rose twenty-fold and data prices fell by 99 percent.
Micronesia calls for clear and rights-protecting approaches to disinformation
In July 2026, during a session of the Global Mechanism on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security, a body established by the UN General Assembly, the State of Micronesia took the floor to call for clearer and more rights-protecting approaches to disinformation. To prevent democratic erosion through suppression of dissent and independent media, human rights violations and reduced public trust in institutions, Micronesia urges States to adopt precise, time-bound, and rights-based definitions of disinformation; ensure independent oversight, judicial review, and effective remedies; require platform transparency and due process; and invest in media and digital literacy, and rapid response mechanisms tailored to small-island contexts.
Emerging technologies—AI, automation, and others—demand multilateral risk-assessment frameworks that preserve human oversight, accountability, and compliance with international law. Attribution and accountability should be pursued collaboratively, with forensic sharing where appropriate and responses that are proportional and lawful.
- FSM delegation, 20 July 2026