From Data to Action: Advancing Climate Mobility Solutions

From innovative financing to regional cooperation, the Pacific is shaping global responses to climate mobility.

Across the Pacific, climate change is not a distant threat, it is already reshaping coastlines, livelihoods, and communities. Rising sea levels, stronger cyclones, flooding, and environmental degradation are influencing where and how people live. For Pacific people, whose deep connection to land and ocean forms the foundation of identity, culture, and wellbeing, these changes carry profound social, economic, and cultural consequences.

The Pacific, however, is not only experiencing climate mobility, but also leading to global solutions. Through innovative financing mechanisms, evidence-based planning tools, regionally endorsed frameworks, and inclusive governance platforms, Pacific countries are advancing people-centered approaches that support communities to stay safely, move with dignity, and build long-term resilience.

Unlocking Climate Action: The Climate Catalytic Fund

A milestone in advancing climate mobility solutions in the region is the launch of the Climate Catalytic Fund (CCF) in Fiji, with pilot implementation also underway in Vanuatu.

The Climate Catalytic Fund is a small and fast financing mechanism implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Fiji in collaboration with the Climate Mobility Innovation Lab (CMIL), funded by the European Humanitarian Aid (ECHO). The Fund provides rapid, catalytic funding to support community-led actions in areas facing the highest risk of climate-induced displacement.

CCF connects risk data, financing, and locally led action. The inaugural CCF Fiji Symposium, held with Fiji’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, brought together governments, regional institutions, private sector partners, and community leaders to advance collaborative climate resilience.

Welcoming the initiative, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Sivendra Michael, described the Fund as a major step forward:

The CCF uses the Risk Index for Climate Displacement (RICD) to identify Fiji’s most vulnerable communities. The provinces of Ba and Macuata have been designated as high-risk, and the call for applications is open for these areas.

By combining hazard data with local insights, the RICD ensures funding supports practical, community-led solutions such as flood management, water security, and climate-resilient livelihoods. Projects run for six months, with funding ranging from USD 5,000 to 25,000 per initiative, emphasizing quick, locally led impact.   

Private Sector Partnership: Matching Funds for Impact

Matching funds provides an opportunity for businesses and national institutions to co-invest in community resilience projects alongside CCF.

• Co-finance climate solutions by matching CCF funding on a 1:1 basis.
• Support projects that reduce climate displacement risks and strengthen resilience.
• Demonstrate national commitment, local ownership, and sustainable impact.
• Contribute to initiatives such as resilient infrastructure, water security, and climate-resilient livelihoods.
• Open to private sector partners, government agencies, civil society, and community actors.
• Partnerships are implemented with oversight from IOM and the CMIL.
• By partnering through matching funds, the private sector can drive meaningful community impact while supporting long-term climate resilience in Fiji and the Pacific.

Pacific Leadership in Climate Mobility

Beyond national initiatives, the Pacific continues to lead globally through the Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility. In November 2023, Pacific Islands Forum Leaders endorsed this Framework — the first regionally endorsed framework of its kind worldwide.

The Framework guides governments, communities, and partners to ensure rights-based, people-centered movement, supporting people to stay safe, relocate when necessary, and access dignified migration pathways. It protects cultural heritage, identity, and traditional knowledge while emphasizing leadership, collaboration, and human security. At its core, it affirms the right of Pacific peoples to remain in their homes wherever possible, ensuring mobility is safe and orderly when needed.

To translate these commitments into practical action, the Implementation Plan 2025–2030 provides a time-bound, flexible roadmap. Centered on risk and vulnerability data, it enables governments and communities to make evidence-informed decisions, strengthen preparedness, and act in culturally appropriate, rights-based, and people-centered ways.

Through mechanisms like the Climate Catalytic Fund, pioneering regional frameworks, and inclusive governance platforms, the Pacific is not only responding to climate change but shaping global climate mobility solutions, demonstrating how innovation, partnership, and cultural identity can drive resilience.