Gilbert and Ellice Islands Ellice Islands", which replaced laws created during the BWTP. The Phoenix Islands were added to the colony in 1937. Banaba Island (Ocean Island) remained the headquarters of the colony until the British evacuation in 1942 during the Pacific War when Ocean Island and the Gilbert Islands were occupied by the Japanese. The United States forces landed in Funafuti on 2 October 1942 and on Nanumea and Nukufetau in August 1943 and constructed an airfield on each island and other bases. The atolls of Tuvalu acted as a staging post during the preparation for the Battle of Tarawa and the Battle
Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific the Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Policy while the CROP ICT Working Group has shepherded the Pacific Islands ICT Policy and Strategic Plan (PIIPP). The CROP interagency working groups also provide technical advice to Pacific Islands Forum intergovernmental working groups taking part in United Nations and other international negotiations and processes, on request. Since the implementation of the Pacific Plan and the Framework for Pacific Regionalism, the role of these CROP working groups has diminished. Their role was reviewed in 2015. Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific The Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) is an inter-organisational consultative