Rising from the ashes: Marshall Islands fast-tracks parliament reconstruction

Marshall Islands officials broke ground on Oct. 8, marking the start of the reconstruction of the Nitjela building, which burned to the ground on Aug. 26, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Office of the President of the Marshall Islands/Facebook

By Mar-Vic Cagurangan

Two months after a devastating fire that had razed the parliament building, the Marshall Islands promptly picked up the pieces, kicking off the reconstruction of the government chamber known as “Nitijela.”

“Although we felt sorrow and anxiety when the house burned down two months ago, let us thank the Lord that we can now rebuild the house, which was old,” President Hilda Heine said.

Heine led Marshallese officials during the Oct. 8 groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction of the Nitijela building, marking “an important step forward," the president's office said in a Facebook post.

The fire consumed the parliament building on Aug. 26, destroying official documents and historical resources stashed in the library and archives. While the structure is mostly still standing, the facility is considered a complete loss.

The Nitijela currently meets at the International Conference Center in Majuro, which will be its temporary session hall until a new building is constructed. 

The U.S. government has pitched in $13 million, supplementing the $30 million donation from Taiwan, to cover the rebuilding costs.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank President Donald Trump and the U.S. government for their great support, and in these thanks, I add Ambassador Laura Stone. I would also like to express my gratitude to President Lai Ching-te and his family for their support,” Heine said.

She promised that the reconstruction would be completed on time.

“There will be a new meeting place,” she added. “Let us imagine a new house that the late president and chief minister, Amata Kabua, imagined as an inheritance from him and those before him when they stood up and remembered our island.”

The contractor, Pacific International Inc., prioritizes the parliament restoration, which is targeted for completion in August 2026.

While the structure is mostly still standing, the facility is considered a complete loss. Photo courtesy of Giff Johnson

“Many projects were being carried out in the area, but because they recognized the importance of the construction work to rebuild the people's home, they decided to put this work ahead of their other work,” Heine said.

The cabinet immediately approved a plan to fast-track the project following the declaration of a state of disaster two days after the fire.

“Nitijela is different from other houses in the country," Heine said. "It is a declaration that our country stands alone; as a country that respects the law of freedom and the rights of the Marshallese people, and where we also inherit our culture and way of life, preserve peace and promote our future."

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