PACIFIC leaders and representatives of overseas countries and territories are rushing to ensure that their voices are not pushed to the margins again.
Regional governments and organisations have emerged from COP30 in Belem, Brazil facing the reality that their voices remain largely unheard, their concerns unrecognized by larger, more powerful nations.
The region has started to pivot from negotiation to delivery after COP30, fully aware of the loneliness they face on the frontline of rising seas and intensifying storms.
They have long argued that smaller nations face disproportionate impacts from climate change yet remain excluded from key climate finance and decision-making channels.
An analysis by the Green Overseas Programme shows that without deliberate action, the progress made at COP30 will fall short of producing real change for those most exposed to the climate crisis.
Ahab Downer, Director of the Green Overseas Programme, stressed the need for
systemic change.
“COP30 has shown that many climate conscious leaders remain keen to pursue ambitious objectives, but ambition must be paired with access,’’ he said.
“For COP31, ensuring that Pacific islanders – in addition to other island populations across the globe – are given an opportunity to shape and drive the agenda – is essential, and will surely generate benefits for all populations of our planet.
“These peoples have extensive lived experience and uniquely appropriate expertise, without which resilience-related implementation efforts will remain incomplete.”
Ilona Mayerau-Lonné, former Representative of Kanaky (New Caledonia) on the European Union’s Overseas Countries and Territories Youth Network said: “While COP31’s move to Türkiye may reshape the conversation, it must not come at the cost of silencing the Pacific.
“Our leadership isn’t optional; it’s the foundation of credible climate action. From loss and damage to ocean resilience, the Pacific’s solutions are the world’s lifeline. Excluding us isn’t just unfair, it’s a strategic blunder we’ll all pay for.”
Mayerau-Lonné said Pacific islanders’ expertise in adaptation, Indigenous knowledge, and climate litigation was the blueprint for global survival.
“This isn’t just about representation, it’s about recognizing that no climate solution is complete without the voices of those living the crisis at the forefront,” she said.
“If islands voices are drowned out by distance or bureaucracy, COP31 fails before it even
begins.”
Smaller island governments continue to push for practical, accessible mechanisms that allow small administrations to engage meaningfully in the Paris Agreement’s next phase.
The Green Overseas Programme is calling for COP31 to prioritise:
● Inclusion of island, particularly OCT, delegates in national delegations.
● Direct access pathways to climate finance for small administrations.
● Recognition of subnational and community-driven solutions that are already delivering
results.
● A commitment that the shift to implementation does not leave structurally marginalised
islands behind.