In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — GCF doubles Pacific Climate Finance as demand surges
2. PACIFIC — Forum leaders tighten Pacific position on oceans, fisheries and deep sea minerals
3. PACIFIC — Forum’s real test is what Pacific people see next: Palau President Whipps
4. PACIFIC — Pacific must stand stronger than forces seeking to divide it: Forum SG
5. PACIFIC — Australia’s climate vandalism called out in Palau
6. PACIFIC — Beijing accuses Pacific forum host Palau of ‘hype’ over its missile test
7. PACIFIC — New Zealand’s PM Luxon backs shake-up of Pacific partnerships as Forum leaders demand more action
8. FIJI — $284m to ‘dismantle Fiji’s drug networks’
9. FIJI — Fiji, UAE look to strengthen bilateral relationship
10. FIJI — Fiji’s new $200 litter fine sparks calls for councils to clean up too
11. PACNEWS BIZ — U.S pledges USD$ 17 million to fight IUU fishing in the Pacific Islands
12. PACNEWS BIZ — Acting MMA director resigns as Marianas mining sale advances
13. PACNEWS BIZ — United States strengthen Tonga’s cybersecurity infrastructure
14. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Pacific leaders issue Belau call to keep 1.5°C alive
15. PACNEWS DIGEST— Concentric constitutionalism: environmental law in PNG
16. PACNEWS DIGEST — Opinion| Why protecting biodiversity matters as the world grapples with multi-faceted challenges
PACIFIC – CLIMATE FINANCE: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Fri 04 Sep 2026
GCF doubles Pacific Climate Finance as demand surges
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has doubled its commitments to the Pacific over the past three years and could approve another US$1 billion in projects for the region, but Executive Director Mafalda Duarte says the growing demand is putting increasing pressure on the Fund’s available resources.
In a PACNEWS exclusive interview this week in Koror, Duarte said the GCF had increased its Pacific commitments to around US$1 billion, unlocking an estimated US$2.4 billion in total investment.
The increase comes as Pacific leaders continue to press international climate funds to move faster and reduce the complexity and costs involved in accessing finance.
Duarte said simplifying access remained a central part of the GCF’s reform agenda.
“This is exactly what I was talking about — all of these reforms to simplify access.
“We hope that the countries will really experience the impacts of these reforms,” she said.
Duarte said the GCF was prepared to consider further changes if Pacific countries found that the new processes still created unnecessary barriers.
She said the Fund was encouraging governments to provide feedback as they began using the reformed systems.
“We’ve been telling them as well, as they experience these new processes and simplified processes, if there are other measures that they wish us to take, that they think it would be good to consider, we are quite open to that,” Duarte said.
Pacific governments have repeatedly raised concerns that climate finance is often difficult and time-consuming to access, particularly for small administrations with limited technical capacity.
Duarte said the recent increase in GCF financing showed that the Pacific’s case for greater international climate support was being recognised.
“It’s one of our key messages here in the PIF — just over the last three years, we doubled the commitment to the Pacific,” she said.
Duarte said the Fund had increased its ambition in the Pacific because of the region’s climate vulnerability and growing financing needs.
“The Pacific have been globally making the case for the need to increase ambition [and] finance in the Pacific, given the vulnerabilities and the needs,” she said.
She said the GCF already had a mandate to direct 50 percent of its financing towards adaptation, with priority given to Small Island Developing States(SIDS), Least Developed Countries and Africa.
According to Duarte, more than 60 percent of the Fund’s financing was currently directed towards these priority geographies.
“In the last three years, we doubled what we had done in the previous seven years,” she said.
Duarte said GCF commitments in the Pacific were now about US$1.02 billion and were expected to unlock US$2.4 billion in total investment.
But she said the pipeline of projects seeking GCF support was growing rapidly.
“We have project proposals with us for very, very significant amounts.
“We could easily see another US$1 billion for the Pacific from regional initiatives and from national initiatives as well,” she said.
The biggest challenge, she said, would be how to meet the demand.
“The key challenge for us is going to be how to respond to all of that demand, given the resource constraint that we have as well,” Duarte said.
Duarte said the GCF was also responding to growing concerns about the impact of climate change on Pacific tuna fisheries.
The issue was highlighted during the Forum meetings, where Pacific Community scientists warned that rising global temperatures could force tuna stocks to migrate, affecting fisheries revenue and food security.
Duarte said the GCF had approved a major investment with Conservation International aimed at helping Pacific countries respond to changing tuna distribution.
The project includes measures to improve coastal and urban communities’ access to tuna, strengthen national fisheries systems and improve forecasting to help countries manage the redistribution of tuna stocks.
“It is quite a significant project,” Duarte said.
She said about 25 percent of the Pacific population was expected to benefit directly or indirectly from the initiative.
The project is intended to help Pacific countries prepare for climate-driven changes to tuna stocks, while protecting the economic and food security benefits derived from one of the region’s most important resources.
Duarte also highlighted a US$44 million GCF-supported project covering Tonga, Vanuatu and Samoa aimed at strengthening food production and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
The programme is expected to directly benefit more than 50,000 people, while nearly 220,000 people could benefit through broader policy measures, extension services and improved local food supplies.
“It is really to strengthen food production and smallholder livelihoods,” Duarte said.
She said the programme would cover about 20,000 hectares, equivalent to around 13 percent of the agricultural land across the three countries.
“These are significant programmes that really stand to make a significant impact in these countries,” she said.
The projects reflect the growing pressure on Pacific economies from climate change, including risks to tuna fisheries, agriculture and food security.
For Duarte, the challenge now is not only increasing the amount of climate finance available, but ensuring Pacific countries can access it faster and with fewer administrative barriers.
The Fund’s message to Pacific leaders, she said, is that reforms are under way but the GCF remains open to further changes as countries test the new systems…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – FORUM LEADERS COMMUNIQUE: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Fri 04 Sep 2026
Forum leaders tighten Pacific position on oceans, fisheries and deep sea minerals
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Pacific Islands Forum leaders have strengthened their regional position on ocean sovereignty, fisheries, deep sea minerals and marine pollution, warning that sea-level rise, illegal fishing and growing pressure on ocean resources require coordinated Pacific action.
In their 2026 Forum Leaders’ Communiqué, leaders reaffirmed that the ocean remains central to the sovereignty, security, prosperity, culture and identity of Pacific peoples and endorsed the 2026 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Ocean Statement to guide regional advocacy and action.
“The ocean remains central to the sovereignty, security, prosperity, culture and identity of Pacific peoples,” the leaders said.
They called for stronger and more coordinated Pacific engagement across international negotiations and processes dealing with oceans, climate change, biodiversity, fisheries, pollution and sustainable development.
Leaders also tasked the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner to coordinate regional preparations for the first Conference of the Parties to the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, known as the BBNJ Agreement, in January 2027.
They encouraged continued mobilisation of resources to support Pacific countries to ratify and implement the agreement.
The leaders again put maritime sovereignty at the centre of the Pacific’s response to climate change, reaffirming earlier Forum declarations aimed at protecting maritime zones and statehood in the face of climate change-related sea-level rise.
They said the sovereign rights and jurisdictions of Forum members must be safeguarded as sea levels continue to rise.
Leaders committed to urgently conclude outstanding maritime boundary treaties, bring existing agreements into force and deposit relevant coordinates and charts with the United Nations in line with international law.
The position builds on the Forum’s 2021 Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones and its 2023 Declaration on the Continuity of Statehood and Protection of Persons Affected by Sea-Level Rise.
Forum leaders also endorsed the Vakamanu Regional Pacific Fisheries Strategy 2026-2035 as the region’s overarching framework for fisheries and aquaculture.
They said fisheries and aquaculture remain critical to Pacific prosperity, food security, livelihoods, culture and national economies.
The strategy will focus on sustainable management, protecting members’ sovereign rights, strengthening climate resilience and securing greater economic and social benefits from fisheries resources for Pacific peoples.
The leaders also reaffirmed support for the East New Britain Initiative, describing it as a key regional hub for tuna processing and services.
They said greater participation by Small Island Developing States was needed across the entire tuna value chain.
At the same time, leaders called for urgent strengthening of high seas management measures to eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
However, they warned that new conservation and management measures must not shift a disproportionate administrative or conservation burden onto Small Island Developing States.
On deep sea mining, leaders endorsed recommendations under the Implementation Plan for a Member-Led Regional Approach to Deep Sea Minerals and a proposal for a regional repository for deep sea mineral data and knowledge.
The communiqué makes clear that the Forum will continue regional cooperation while preserving the sovereign rights of individual members.
“Regional cooperation on deep sea minerals should continue to be guided by Member leadership,” the leaders said.
They stressed that the regional approach must be “without prejudice to the sovereign rights of Members over natural resources within their national jurisdiction.”
Leaders also called for equitable access to science, data and knowledge and adherence to international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
They noted Vanuatu’s offer of its Global Scientific Assessment of Deep Sea Ecosystems as an independent scientific contribution to support the Pacific Deep Sea Knowledge Partnership.
The language reflects the continuing diversity of positions among Forum members on deep sea mining while keeping regional cooperation focused on science, information and member-led decision-making.
The leaders also renewed their call for an ambitious, comprehensive and legally binding global agreement covering the full life cycle of plastics, from production through to waste.
They said the agreement must also address existing plastic pollution in the marine environment.
The Forum reaffirmed its commitment to preventing marine litter and plastic pollution and protecting the health of the Pacific Ocean and its peoples.
Leaders also called for collaboration on a Regional Extended Producer Responsibility Framework designed specifically for Pacific economies that rely heavily on imported goods.
Leaders acknowledged progress under the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership(PBSP) following the signing of its charter in June by Fiji, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, followed by Tonga.
They said the partnership and its inaugural ministerial council meeting had committed Pacific countries to a coordinated approach to shipping decarbonisation through the Green Climate Fund.
The Forum also acknowledged Tonga’s concerns over the protection of migratory humpback whales and their ecological links between the Pacific and Southern Ocean.
Leaders said greater attention was needed along migratory corridors, including the impacts of climate change, and called for further action to protect Antarctic krill and the wider marine ecosystem.
Leaders welcomed the Melanesian Ocean Summit hosted by Papua New Guinea in May and noted the Polynesian Leaders Group’s intention to convene a Polynesian Ocean Summit in 2027.
They said the planned summit would provide another Pacific-led platform to strengthen ocean governance and protection, elevate the region’s collective voice on ocean rights and marine conservation and advance the blue economy.
The leaders also recognised the role of traditional knowledge, voyaging societies, fishers and coastal communities as custodians of the Pacific Ocean.
They further welcomed the Declaration on Traditional Navigation as a Cultural Heritage of the Blue Pacific Continent, endorsed on 02 September 2026 and presented by Palau’s Great Council of Chiefs and the Micronesian Voyaging Society.
“Traditional navigation and voyaging” were recognised as “an enduring expression of Pacific culture, identity and traditional knowledge, connecting Pacific peoples across the Blue Pacific Continent,” the leaders said…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – FORUM LEADERS MEET: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Fri 04 Sep 2026
Forum’s real test is what Pacific people see next: Palau President Whipps
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Palau President and Pacific Islands Forum Chair Surangel Whipps Jr has challenged Forum leaders to turn their decisions into results, saying the real test of the meeting will not be what was announced in Palau but what Pacific people see in their communities in the months and years ahead.
Closing the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Whipps said the Forum had spent the week discussing major regional challenges, but implementation would determine whether those discussions made a difference.
“The real test is not what we announce in Palau.
“The real test is what our people will see in the months and years ahead,” Whipps said.
He said leadership was not simply about reaching agreements.
“Leadership is not about making decisions. Leadership is about delivering on them.
“And when we make commitments, we must carry them through,” Whipps said.
Whipps said Forum decisions and regional commitments must be felt in Pacific communities.
“When we say we stand for the Pacific, that support must be felt in our villages, our schools, our ports, our power systems, our coastlines and in the daily lives of our people,” he said.
Whipps said the Pacific was facing mounting pressure from climate change, rising seas, economic uncertainty, energy insecurity, threats to the ocean and increasing competition among larger powers.
But he said the message from Palau was clear.
“The Pacific agenda will be shaped by Pacific people
“Our partnerships must respect Pacific priorities. Our ocean must be protected for future generations. And our unity must remain our greatest strength,” Whipps said.
Whipps said the Forum’s diversity should be seen as a source of strength rather than division.
“The Pacific Islands Forum is strongest when we stand together.
“Our diversity is not our weakness. It is our source of strength, it is our source of resilience and it is our source of wisdom.”
“We may have different experiences, different priorities and different perspectives. But we share one ocean, one region, one planet and one future,” he said.
Whipps used his closing address to press for faster action on renewable energy, saying Pacific countries had spent too long discussing barriers while communities remained dependent on imported fuel.
He said energy was not simply about electricity generation but about security, economic opportunity and the resilience of Pacific communities.
“The question is not simply how much energy we can use.
“It is whether a clinic can keep medicines cool, whether a school can keep its lights on, whether a business can grow and whether a family can plan its future with confidence,” he said.
Whipps said Pacific countries needed to move from discussion to implementation.
“We have thought long enough about the barriers to renewable energy.
“Now, we must finance the projects, build the systems, train our people and make reliable, affordable and clean energy a reality for every Pacific community,” he said.
He said dependence on imported fuel left Pacific countries vulnerable to disruptions and events beyond their control.
Whipps also placed ocean stewardship at the centre of the Forum’s economic and development agenda.
He said the Pacific Ocean was not simply the space between islands but a source of identity, food security, culture, climate resilience and economic opportunity.
Using the Palauan practice of protecting resources so they can recover and endure for future generations, Whipps said the same principle must guide decisions on fisheries, coral reefs, energy, food, infrastructure and finance.
“We do not have the luxury of treating protection and prosperity as competing goals,” he said.
“An economy that depletes the ocean, weakens communities or leaves us exposed to shocks is not an economy built to last,” he said.
Whipps said the Forum had discussed how ocean stewardship could create livelihoods, how renewable energy could strengthen security, and how sustainable fisheries could deliver greater value to Pacific peoples.
He said the region also needed to ensure finance reached communities and that partnerships supported Pacific priorities.
Whipps said the work begun in Palau must now be carried into upcoming international meetings, including the United Nations General Assembly, pre-COP discussions and COP31.
“At each of these moments, the Pacific must speak with clarity, confidence and unity.
“Climate ambition must be matched with climate finance. Commitments must become implementation, and the priorities of our people must remain at the centre of global decision-making,” he said.
He said the Forum’s Ocean Forum, partnership discussions and leadership dialogue were intended to move regional cooperation beyond broad political agreement and towards practical action.
“They were part of a larger Pacific effort to turn our shared vision into work,” Whipps said.
As Palau assumes the chairmanship of the Pacific Islands Forum, Whipps said his country’s role would be to work with every member and ensure all voices were heard.
“Our role is not to speak over anyone, but to work with every member.
“To uphold the interests of the Pacific, to strengthen our unity and ensure that every voice in our Forum is heard and respected,” he said.
He said Palau would work with the Forum Troika, Secretariat and all members to carry forward the decisions reached by leaders.
Whipps said unity would be critical as the region navigated growing geopolitical and economic pressures.
“Alone, each of us faces immense challenges,” he said.
“Together, we can secure our energy future, protect our oceans, build economies that serve our people and ensure that the Pacific remains the author of its own destiny.”
Whipps closed by thanking Forum leaders, the Forum Secretariat, regional organisations, dialogue and development partners, civil society, the private sector, scientists, investors, young people and the people of Palau for contributing to the meeting.
He paid particular tribute to Palau’s traditional leaders, government workers, performers, hospitality staff, security personnel and students.
Whipps also recognised the work of Forum officials and staff who worked late into the night to complete the Leaders’ Communiqué.
“We have a communiqué that’s completed and done, and thanks to their hard work, we did it,” he said.
He also thanked the Forum’s first spouses for promoting health awareness, including action on non-communicable diseases, and for raising concerns about internet safety for children.
Whipps said Pacific countries needed to stop accepting the region’s poor health rankings for diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
“We have to stop getting the gold medals in diabetes, heart disease and obesity
“We want to get to the bottom of that list. But it takes all of us working together,” he said.
Whipps said Pacific people must remain at the centre of every regional decision.
“People must be in the centre of everything that we do,” he said.
The challenge for the Forum, he said, was now to carry the spirit of the Palau meeting beyond the conference hall and turn its decisions into results.
“We carry the spirit of this Forum beyond this hall to turn our decisions into results and to prove through action that the Pacific can lead,” he said…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – FORUM LEADERS MEET: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Fri 04 Sep 2026
Pacific must stand stronger than forces seeking to divide it: Forum SG
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa has closed the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting with a call for Pacific unity, warning that the bonds between Forum members must remain stronger than the forces seeking to divide the region.
Wrapping up the week-long Forum meeting in Palau, Waqa said leaders were leaving Koror with renewed purpose and a strengthened commitment to work together on the region’s biggest challenges.
He said the discussions had reaffirmed the strength of Pacific regionalism and the importance of the Forum family working together despite differences among its members.
“Our sovereign choices may at times differ, but we always return to the priorities, values and relationships that unite us.
“The bonds between us as Pacific brothers and sisters must remain stronger than the forces that seek to divide us.
“This is who we are as a Forum family, and this is the spirit we must continue to protect,” Waqa said.
Waqa said leaders had demonstrated a collective determination to find Pacific solutions to Pacific challenges as they dealt with climate change, ocean stewardship, economic resilience, security, sustainable development and people-centred cooperation.
“The challenges facing our region are significant and deeply interconnected.
“Yet, throughout our generation, we have again demonstrated that the Pacific meets its challenges with courage,” he said.
Waqa said the region’s strength was not only in its diversity but also in its ability to listen, find common ground and act collectively.
“Our strength lies not only in our diversity, but in our ability to listen to one another, to find common ground and to act together in pursuit of our shared future,” he said.
He said leaders had reinforced their commitment to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent as the region’s guiding framework for action.
Waqa said the Forum’s decisions must continue to place the hopes and aspirations of Pacific people at the centre.
The Secretary General said the Forum Secretariat stood ready to support members as they move to implement the decisions and commitments agreed by leaders.
He called on Forum members and partners to carry the momentum from Palau into practical action.
“As we leave Palau, let us carry forward the spirit and momentum created here.
“Let us champion the priorities and decisions reflected in this year’s Leaders’ Communiqué, deepen our relationships and renew our commitment to practical actions that improve the lives of our people today and for generations to come,” Waqa said.
Waqa said the Forum had again reaffirmed its responsibility to safeguard the Pacific Ocean, protect the environment, strengthen economies and advance the well-being and security of Pacific peoples.
Waqa paid tribute to Palau for hosting the 55th Forum Leaders Meeting and thanked the government and people for their hospitality.
“On behalf of the Forum family, I extend my deepest appreciation to the Government and people of Palau for the generosity, warmth and grace that you have shown,” he said.
He also paid special tribute to Tonga as it concluded its service in the Forum Troika.
“To the Government of Tonga, thank you so much for your steady duty, wise guidance and generous counsel,” Waqa said.
“Your contribution has strengthened the Troika and served our Forum family with distinction.
“We are deeply grateful, and the wisdom you have shared will remain with us.”
Waqa also welcomed New Zealand into the Forum Troika, saying the Forum looked forward to the experience, commitment and friendship it would bring to the mechanism.
The Secretary General thanked Forum leaders, regional agencies, development partners, civil society organisations, representatives of the private sector, youth and the wider Palauan community for contributing to the meeting.
He said the Forum’s work now depended on maintaining unity and turning political decisions into results for Pacific communities.
“Together, guided by our shared values and bound by our common vision, we will continue to build a stronger, more resilient and more prosperous Pacific.
“I remain confident in our Forum family, in the strength of our Pacific way and in all that we can achieve when we stand together,” Waqa said.
The 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting has ended, with the focus now shifting to implementing the decisions agreed by leaders in Palau and the commitments set out in the Forum’s 2026 Leaders’ Communiqué…. PACNEWS
PAC – CLIMATE: AAP PACNEWS 2: Fri 04 Sep 2026
Australia’s climate vandalism called out in Palau
KOROR, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (AAP) — Of all the testimonies about the impact of global warming heard at the Pacific Islands Forum summit, Maina Talia’s may be the most heart-wrenching.
The Tuvalu climate change minister has been a relentless ambassador for lifting climate ambition, given the imminent threat to his homeland.
He was distraught as he recalled reading the UN Environment Programme’s grim assessment of warming trajectories, released on Wednesday.
“I couldn’t sleep last night thinking, ‘how are we going to prepare ourselves’,” he said in Palau.
“Because the scenarios that may happen in the next 100 years or so, could happen within the next 10 years or so.
“It’s real now. It’s here now. It’s no longer a distant threat for the Pacific, and it’s a call for all of us to scale climate actions.”
The dispiriting findings in the UNEP report include a best-case scenario of a 1.8 degree temperature rise above pre-industrial levels.
That is past a scientifically-backed tipping point, when temperature rises become much harder to stop because of flow-on effects.
With a highest point of just under five metres above sea level, for Tuvalu and Talia, there can be no navigating the climate with warming over 1.5 per cent.
The UNEP report states “the policy challenge has shifted from avoiding overshoot to navigating it”.
The risks, at even the UNEP’s best case scenario, include ice sheet collapse, deforestation and the thawing of permafrost: outcomes which would trigger further warming and/or sea level rise.
“The 1.5 has been central to the discussion … for the past many years, and we will continue to push for that,” Talia said.
“The only way out for us is to ensure that we continue to push for 1.5 to stay alive, to stay in our countries.”
It was five years ago, in an address to the COP26 climate talks, that Talia’s predecessor Simon Kofe won the world’s attention for a video address while standing in thigh-deep water.
Tuvalu’s previous climate change minister Simon Kofe previously won the world’s attention for a video address while standing in thigh-deep water.
Since then, Tuvalu and Australia have signed the Falepili, a groundbreaking pact with a security element and climate adaptation, but also a resettlement ballot for Tuvalu citizens.
Some, like Talia, do not intend to take up that option.
Alongside Talia in Palau was Ralph Regenvanu, the Vanuatu climate change minister who led a successful case to the International Court of Justice finding high-emitting countries have a legal duty to stop climate harm.
“Australia is not doing enough. Australia is a major producer of fossil fuels. We all know fossil fuels are the primary driver of the climate crisis,” Regenvanu said.
“The very least a country like Australia should be doing is stopping future expansion, and it’s not doing that.
“This means a rapid transitioning away from fossil fuels and fossil fuel subsidies. There’s no other way.”
The Climate Council states the Albanese Government had approved 36 new, expanded or extended coal, oil and gas projects to March 2026.
In Palau, Albanese defended his government’s record, saying the grid had recently hit 50 per cent supply from renewables, and Pacific leaders understood a transition would take time.
“Australia is highly regarded when it comes to climate change … Pacific leaders have respect for the position that we’ve taken,” he said.
Australia is also a big supporter of the Pacific’s push to become a 100 per cent renewable region, as championed by Palau President Surangel Whipps.
On Thursday, Albanese and Whipps will visit an Australia-backed solar panel farm which will bump Palau’s share of renewable-powered electricity generation to 25 per cent.
“Palau has shown strong leadership on climate action and sustainable development, and Australia is proud to support those efforts,” Albanese said…. PACNEWS
PAC – MISSILE: REUTERS PACNEWS 2: Fri 04 Sep 2026
Beijing accuses Pacific forum host Palau of ‘hype’ over its missile test
SYDNEY, 04 SEPTEMBER 206 (REUTERS) — Beijing has accused Palau of “hype” over its Pacific missile test, after the host of the regional Pacific Islands Forum on Thursday urged the group to condemn China’s launch, on the final day of a summit dominated by a dispute between Beijing and Taiwan.
Surangel Whipps Jr., who is also the president of Palau, said he was hopeful the issue would be mentioned in a joint statement by the 18-nation bloc when the summit ends later on Thursday.
“That’s definitely something that we’ll be discussing today, and a unified Pacific voice is critical in getting Beijing to respect sovereignty, to respect transparency, and to be a responsible partner,” he told a news conference.
“We don’t want our backyard, our homes, to be threatened and really disrespected.”
The July ballistic missile test by Beijing — its first known launch in the Pacific since September 2024 — came hours after Fiji and Australia signed a major defence treaty, marking Fiji’s first ever alliance.
A meeting of Pacific Islands foreign ministers last month failed to agree to a statement condemning the test, despite individual leaders expressing alarm, publicly and privately, about militarisation of the region.
Beijing has said the test was conducted safely.
On Thursday, its foreign ministry reiterated that position and said it had never engaged in military expansion.
‘Palau’s repeated hype and attempts to manipulate the positions of other Pacific Islands forum member states are malicious and will not succeed,” spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing.
“We are willing to work with South Pacific countries to contribute to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region.”
This year’s meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum has been overshadowed by China’s objections to the presence of Taiwan at the summit, saying the island was not qualified to attend.
Summit host Palau is one of three Pacific Island countries with official diplomatic ties to Taiwan.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future.
Tensions between Beijing and Taipei have featured prominently at the annual meeting of the forum, which counts Australia, New Zealand and Pacific island nations as members.
Some Pacific leaders have stayed away from the summit, with the prime ministers of Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and the Solomon Islands and the president of Kiribati sending low-ranking ministers instead, raising concerns the absences could undermine the outcome of the meeting.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Tuesday he was “highly suspicious” about whether foreign interference might be behind some of the leaders’ absences, without directly accusing Beijing.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Peters’ comments were unfounded…. PACNEWS
PAC – PIFLM55: PMN PACNEWS 2: Fri 04 Sep 2026
New Zealand’s PM Luxon backs shake-up of Pacific partnerships as Forum leaders demand more action
KOROR, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PMN) — New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the Pacific needs to rethink how it works with its development partners, arguing countries seeking a place at the table must be ready to put money and expertise into the region’s priorities.
Speaking to journalists in Palau ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ retreat, Luxon said he wanted to see a more organised system for dealing with the growing number of countries and organisations working across the Pacific.
His comments come as Pacific leaders push for the Forum to move from agreements and statements to action that makes a difference for their people.
“If you want to be a development partner of PIF and the PIF countries here, you’ve got to step up and you’ve got to be very clear about where your investments are going to go,” Luxon said.
He pointed to energy as an example, saying Pacific countries were receiving investment from multiple partners but could end up with systems that do not work together.
“We’ve got a massive opportunity on renewables. We’ve got massive investment going on but then we run into grid problems, you know, because we’ve got four different, eight, you know, development partners doing different systems and they don’t integrate,” he said.
For Pacific countries facing high energy costs and fragile power systems, Luxon said better coordination could help turn investment into greater energy security.
He said New Zealand was looking to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a possible model for how the Pacific Islands Forum could organise its relationships with strategic and sector partners.
International law expert Al Gillespie says the Forum may also need to rethink how it makes decisions when countries cannot agree.
“Sometimes you’ve got to rework the rules of procedure so that you can work around issues that cause confrontation,” Gillespie told William Terite on Pacific Mornings.
He said one option could be changing the way consensus is reached on difficult issues.
“Sometimes you might need a majority,” Gillespie said.
Luxon is part of the Forum’s leadership Troika and Aotearoa will host next year’s Leaders’ Meeting.
He said he wanted to use that role to help strengthen the Forum as a regional organisation, while keeping Pacific countries at the centre of decisions.
“We want those investments going into the political infrastructure,” he said.
Luxon also said Pacific leaders had told him the Forum needed to deliver more than talk.
“Some of the leaders have told me that PIF is too much talkie and not enough walkie,” he said.
The comments come as Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape praised New Zealand’s role in the region during a bilateral meeting with Luxon.
Marape said Pacific countries, particularly smaller island states, remained strategically important despite their size.
“They may be small in land size and population, but they’re very strategic in taking big in ocean space, some of our fisheries resources,” he said.
Gillespie says the pressure on Pacific unity is growing as more outside powers seek influence in the region.
“Unity is becoming much harder to maintain with so many outside players trying to influence it for their own agendas,” he said.
But he said Pacific countries should focus on areas where they can still find common ground.
“Some things like climate change or development or economic support shouldn’t be partisan, and that’s where we should be trying to aim for our progress,” Gillespie said.
Marape also pointed to areas where PNG could learn from New Zealand, including state-owned enterprises and the public service.
“New Zealand has always been a model for us in state-owned enterprises, public service,” he said.
He said the relationship between PNG and New Zealand was strengthening and highlighted New Zealand’s support, including a NZ$250 million (US$147.05 million) commitment.
The two leaders also found common ground on rugby league, with Luxon predicting more New Zealanders will travel to PNG when the new PNG Chiefs enter the NRL in 2028.
“You’ve just built the best league team in the world,” Luxon told Marape.
Luxon is also facing questions in Palau over New Zealand’s climate policy after Vanuatu Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu called on countries such as Australia and New Zealand to stop expanding fossil fuel production.
Luxon defended New Zealand’s climate record, pointing to 96.4 per cent renewable electricity generation in the latest quarter and saying the country had recorded its lowest emissions since records began in 2010.
He acknowledged there was more to do. “We could always do more.”
But the test for the Forum remains whether regional cooperation can deliver practical results – from energy and infrastructure to security, climate action and economic opportunities.
Luxon says that is the direction New Zealand wants to take as it prepares to help lead the Forum into next year.
The 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting ends on Friday…. PACNEWS
FIJI – DRUG FIGHT: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 2: Fri 04 Sep 2026
$284m to ‘dismantle Fiji’s drug networks’
SUVA, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (FIJI SUN) — Australia will provide $284 million (US$142 million) over the next decade to strengthen Fiji’s fight against illicit drugs and organised criminal networks.
The major funding commitment will support a new National Joint Enforcement Centre, strengthen the Fiji Police Force and boost the country’s border, intelligence and maritime capabilities.
The new centre will bring together intelligence from the Fiji Police Force, Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority, Fiji Immigration, the Republic of the Fiji Military Forces and other agencies to identify criminal networks and coordinate operations.
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Policing and Communications Berenado Daveta said the objective was not simply to increase arrests or drug seizures, but to identify, disrupt and ultimately dismantle organised criminal networks.
“The centre will combine intelligence, support joint operational planning and coordinate interdiction and disruption activities,” Daveta said.
Australian support is also expected to include Australian Federal Police expertise in intelligence-led policing, digital forensics, surveillance, secure communications, financial crime, counter-narcotics and operational mentoring.
The package includes a 10-year Fiji Police Force uplift programme covering leadership, human resources, ethics and integrity, operational capabilities, strategy and planning.
“Already identified support includes police mobile force equipment, uniforms, digital forensic capability, transnational crime unit equipment and vehicles, station refurbishment and continuing cyber capability development.”
Australia and the Australian Federal Police are also scoping a permanent Fiji Police Headquarters estimated at about $118m (US$59 million), along with a proposed Centre of Excellence for Forensics.
The wider programme will strengthen Fiji’s border and maritime capabilities through improved container screening at Suva and Lautoka, intelligence sharing, passenger and cargo risk assessment, biometrics and greater interoperability between Police, Immigration and Customs.
The Maritime Essential Service Centre is also expected to be strengthened as Fiji’s main maritime information, surveillance and coordination hub…. PACNEWS
FIJI – DIPLOMACY: FIJI GOVT PACNEWS 2: Fri 04 Sep 2026
Fiji, UAE look to strengthen bilateral relationship
KOROR, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (FIJI GOVT) — Fiji is looking to strengthening collaboration with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) across a range of areas covering climate action, renewable energy, education, trade and investment and development cooperation.
These sentiments were shared during a bilateral meeting held on the margins of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting between the Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Sakiasi Ditoka, and UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Her Excellency Dr. Noura Mohamed Al Kaabi, in Palau this week.
Minister Ditoka further expressed interest to enhance coordination to ensure the safety of Fijian nationals noting the fluid nature of the situation in the Middle East.
Fiji has approximately 750 nationals in the Middle East, including students, skilled workers, peacekeepers and diplomats, with a significant number in Israel and the UAE. Minister Ditoka confirmed that Fiji’s nationals in the region are currently safe and accounted for.
On the evolving security environment, Minister Ditoka conveyed Fiji’s expressed hope that the conflict can ultimately be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, paving the way for lasting peace and stability in the region.
The two sides also discussed the UAE’s interest in pursuing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Fiji, which could create new opportunities for trade and investment.
Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the Fiji-UAE partnership and advancing practical cooperation that delivers tangible benefits for the people of both countries…. PACNEWS
FIJI – FINES/WASTE MANAGEMENT: PMN PACNEWS 2: Fri 04 Sep 2026
Fiji’s new $200 litter fine sparks calls for councils to clean up too
SUVA, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PMN) — Fiji’s new $200 (US$100) litter fine is now in force, but a bigger question is being raised alongside it: who holds councils accountable when rubbish collection and disposal fail?
The five-fold increase from $40 (US$20) took effect on 1 September under the Litter (Amendment) Act 2026 as the government steps up enforcement against people who deliberately dump rubbish.
Minister for Information, Environment and Climate Change, Lynda Tabuya, says the tougher penalty is aimed at changing behavior, not raising money.
“If you litter, you pay,” Tabuya said in a statement. “Not because the Government wants your $200 (US$200). We would rather collect zero dollars in litter fines, because zero dollars in fines would mean people are doing the right thing.”
Fiji is also expanding its network of Litter Prevention Officers (LPOs) with council workers, the Fiji Police Force, and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) working together to identify offences, gather evidence, and issue on-the-spot notices.
“We will measure enforcement,” Tabuya said. “We will track how many notices are issued, where offences are occurring and whether behaviour is changing, because we do not want to simply assume the law is working. We want to prove that it is working.”
But as the rules take effect, opposition MPs are asking whether the same level of accountability will apply to the authorities responsible for managing Fiji’s rubbish.
Opposition MP Ketan Lal has pointed images of overloaded, open-top council rubbish trucks nearly spilling waste onto public roads, saying councils must also do their part.
“If the Government is going to tell citizens, ‘If you litter, you pay,’ then councils must also be told: ‘If you collect rubbish, collect it properly,’” Lal said on social media. “A cleaner Fiji cannot be achieved through fines alone. It requires reliable rubbish collection, safe waste transportation, proper disposal, and accountability from the authorities.”
The Nausori Town Council has backed the new approach, reminding residents that dumping rubbish is illegal and that $200 (US$100) on-the-spot fines are being enforced.
“Let’s work together to keep our town clean, safe and beautiful,” the council said in a statement. “A cleaner Nausori means a healthier community, a better environment and a more attractive town for everyone.”
Opposition MP Virendra Lal has also questioned whether enough detail has been provided about how the new system will work and whether a flat $200 (US$100) penalty is fair for everyone.
“For a struggling family, a market vendor or a young person, $200 (US$100) is a significant and punishing sum,” he told Parliament.
“I ask the Minister whether a tiered structure distinguishing individuals from communal offenders was ever considered and whether any hardship or payment plan provision will exist for those who genuinely cannot play.”
Lal also questioned how many litter prevention officers will be deployed, what training and equipment they will receive, and whether enforcement will reach rural and maritime communities.
Lal says stronger enforcement needs to be matched with prevention, including more public bins, more regular rubbish collection and public education…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PAC – IUU FISHING: SEAFOOD SOURCE PACNEWS BIZ: Fri 04 Sep 2026
U.S pledges USD$17 million to fight IUU fishing in the Pacific Islands
KOROR, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SEAFOOD SOURCE) — The United States has pledged USD$17 million to fight counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in and around the Pacific Islands.
“The United States is a Pacific nation and has long stood with our Pacific friends and neighbors to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the U.S Department of State said in a statement. “Our commitment to the security and prosperity of the Pacific Islands is steadfast, enduring, and a key pillar of our America First Foreign Policy.”
According to the department, the funding will support the Pacific regional IUU Fishing Project, which will provide legal support to governments wishing to update their national laws and regulations to better counter IUU fishing. Among the goals listed for the project are training more compliance officers and deploying new autonomous technologies to improve monitoring.
The funding was announced by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau at the Pacific Islands Forum Partners Dialogue in Palau as part of USD$150 million (EUR 129 million) in support for the Pacific Islands. In addition to combatting IUU fishing, the USD$ 50 million U.S Department of State funding will go toward energy projects, improving port infrastructure, and upgrading data and network capacity.
The announcement comes shortly after the U.S government and Pacific Island members of the South Pacific Tuna Treaty met in Wellington, New Zealand, and affirmed their intention to work together on combatting IUU fishing.
“The Participants recognised the urgency of the risk and the need to examine innovative approaches to pursue bolder actions that would combat IUU fishing across the region,” the parties said in a joint statement 6 July. “The United States and Pacific Island Parties reaffirmed the importance of continued cooperation to protect fisheries resources, uphold international rules and standards, ensure that Pacific tuna fisheries remain sustainably managed for the benefit of future generations, and ensure parity, including recognition of equal treatment for all small island developing states and participating territories in the management of the region’s fisheries.”…. PACNEWS
GUAM – MINING: GUAM DAILY POST PACNEWS BIZ: Fri 04 Sep 2026
Acting MMA director resigns as Marianas mining sale advances
HAGATNA, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (GUAM DAILY POST) — The federal official who has publicly defended the accelerated timeline for seabed mining leases off the Marianas is leaving the government for Halliburton, according to the Washington Examiner, with no successor named as a proposed 16 December sale date approaches and Guam still has no formal role in the process.
Matt Giacona, acting director of the newly created Marine Minerals Administration, formerly the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, will step down 04 September, the Examiner reported 27 August, citing two industry sources close to the discussions. The agency had not confirmed the departure publicly at the time of that report.
The Guam Daily Post sent questions to the agency’s press office asking whether Giacona’s exit would affect the Marianas lease sale, who would take over final decisions on the leasing notices, and whether the agency would revisit Guam’s request for a formal role in the process. As of press time, MMA had not responded.
The MMA was created in July, merging BOEM and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, agencies that had been split apart after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Giacona has served as the agency’s public face on the Marianas proposal, which covers five lease blocks along the Mariana Trench and drew more than 60,000 public comments, most of them opposed, before regulators moved the timeline forward anyway. The agency advanced the proposed Marianas lease sale to a Dec. 16 date, compressing the usual review and comment period.
Only the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands governor holds formal standing to comment on the leasing notice before it becomes final. Guam’s governor does not, despite waters adjacent to the island. Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero’s administration has called the pace of the process “literally, a race to the bottom of the sea, with an eye on undertaking mining activities that carry unknown risks to the people, environment, and possibly economies of the Pacific,” and has said it will keep objecting regardless. “Our hands are tied, but our voices will not be silenced,” the administration said in a statement to the Post last month.
Senator William Parkinson has pointed to the accelerated schedule as evidence regulators are moving faster than the public can keep up with.
“To me, the press release is a canary in the coal mine,” Parkinson said in an interview with the Post. “It’s showing that not only things are happening, but that they’re accelerating.”
Halliburton is an oilfield services company. The Examiner reported it does not own oil and gas assets of its own, and nothing in the public record ties the firm to Pacific seabed mineral leasing. On its face, Giacona’s move to a private energy contractor does not establish a conflict with his former role overseeing offshore mineral development.
What it does leave is a temporary leadership gap at the agency steering one of the more consequential regulatory decisions facing the region, just as Guam’s congressional delegation has been pressing for a bigger say in it. Del. James Moylan’s office has said it is working with CNMI Del. Kimberlyn King-Hinds to request a formal consultation process under federal law that would give both Guam and the CNMI direct oversight of the shared waters. Whether that request gains traction now falls to whoever replaces Giacona, a person the agency has yet to name…. PACNEWS
TONGA – CYBER SECURITY: ISLANDS BUSINESS PACNEWS BIZ: Fri 04 Sep 2026
United States strengthen Tonga’s cybersecurity infrastructure
NUKU’ALOFA, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (ISLANDS BUSINESS) — The United States Department of State is providing ongoing technical assistance to migrate Tonga’s critical government data assets into secure, trusted cloud environments by funding a technical feasibility study carried out by CyberCX USA Inc. to provide strategic options for data centre modernisation and network upgrades.
The United States Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and the Prime Minister of Tonga, Lord Fakafanua, signed the agreement at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting to advance cooperation on strengthening Tonga’s digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.
Fakafanua said strengthening Tonga’s digital infrastructure is essential to the country’s future resilience and development:
“Strengthening Tonga’s digital infrastructure is essential to building a more resilient, secure, and connected nation. This partnership with the United States will help us protect critical government systems, strengthen cybersecurity, and provide a secure foundation for expanding digital public services.”
He said this is an important investment in Tonga’s digital future and in the country’s ability to harness technology to improve services and create greater opportunities for our people.
The initiative represents an important step in Tonga’s efforts to build a secure and resilient digital foundation as the Government continues to expand digital public services and modernise service delivery.
The feasibility study is expected to provide the Government with options to strengthen whole-of-government cybersecurity, improve disaster recovery capabilities, expand digital public services, and establish the infrastructure needed to support the future development of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence-powered applications.
The cooperation is part of broader efforts by the United States to support Tonga’s digital resilience and promote secure, trusted digital infrastructure across the Pacific. The Government of Tonga welcomes the emphasis this partnership places on working with trusted international partners to strengthen national cybersecurity, protect critical government systems, and ensure the benefits of digital transformation translate into improved services and greater opportunities for the people of Tonga…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS In Focus
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Pacific leaders issue Belau call to keep 1.5°C alive
By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
KOROR, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Pacific Islands Forum leaders have issued a new call for urgent global climate action, demanding faster cuts to fossil fuel emissions, a major increase in climate finance and stronger international action to keep the 1.5°C temperature limit within reach.
In the Belau Declaration for Urgent and Inclusive Climate Action to Keep 1.5°C Within Reach, adopted at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, leaders said climate change remained “the single greatest threat” to the security, livelihoods, wellbeing and future of Pacific peoples.
They warned that current global climate action was not enough to prevent a 1.5°C overshoot.
“Current global actions and the aggregate ambition and implementation of NDCs are insufficient to halt a 1.5°C overshoot,” the declaration said.
The leaders said the Pacific was already experiencing severe and irreversible impacts, including loss and damage, displacement, ecosystem degradation, threats to food and water security and growing economic and fiscal pressures.
They again pointed to the inequity facing Pacific Small Island Developing States, which contribute little to global greenhouse gas emissions but face some of the world’s most severe climate impacts.
“Pacific peoples contribute least to global emissions yet bear among the gravest impacts of climate change,” the leaders said.
Pacific commits to action
The declaration commits Forum members to submit and implement ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans during what leaders described as a critical decade for keeping 1.5°C within reach.
Leaders also committed to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and towards a 100 percent renewable energy future for the Blue Pacific.
They backed the accelerated development of a Regional Renewable Energy Transition Strategy and implementation of the renewed Framework for Energy Security and Resilience in the Pacific, known as FESRIP 2.0.
The work could also be supported by a new Pacific Renewable Energy Commissioner once the position is established.
The declaration recognises that Pacific countries will take different national pathways but says the regional direction is clear.
Leaders also committed to strengthen monitoring, reporting and accountability for climate commitments and to implement the Pacific Pact on Gender and Climate Action.
They will take the region’s position to Pacific Pre-COP leaders’ events in Fiji and Tuvalu, COP31 and other international meetings, with a focus on 1.5°C, climate finance, the ocean-climate connection, youth leadership and intergenerational equity.
Fossil fuel transition
The Forum called on all countries to submit and implement climate plans aligned with limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
Leaders said the transition away from fossil fuels must accelerate during this decade and lead towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 on pathways consistent with the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal.
They also called for stronger global action to reduce methane and other short-lived climate pollutants.
“Pacific leadership must be demonstrated through action,” the declaration said.
The leaders called for a transition away from fossil fuels that is “just, orderly and equitable”, while recognising the different national circumstances and pathways of countries.
They also called for the best available science, including the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Pacific Indigenous and traditional knowledge, to continue guiding global climate action.
ICJ opinion strengthens Pacific call
The Belau Declaration also builds on recent international legal developments, including the advisory opinions of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the International Court of Justice on climate change.
Leaders described the opinions as landmark contributions to clarifying states’ responsibilities under international law and protecting present and future generations.
They called on states to give effect to their obligations to protect the climate system and other parts of the environment from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.
The declaration also refers to a United Nations General Assembly resolution welcoming the unanimous ICJ Advisory Opinion and its role in clarifying existing international law.
Leaders urged states to act consistently with their international obligations, noting the Court’s finding that a breach of an identified climate obligation could constitute an internationally wrongful act carrying state responsibility.
Ocean-climate action
Forum leaders also pushed for stronger recognition of the ocean as a critical climate regulator and a foundation of Pacific economies, cultures, livelihoods and security.
They called for ocean considerations to be integrated more meaningfully into the UN climate process.
The declaration said international discussions must move “beyond dialogue towards implementation”.
Leaders called for greater recognition of integrated ocean management in addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, radioactive waste and other pollution.
They also demanded scaled-up and fit-for-purpose ocean finance to support ocean stewardship, sustainable livelihoods and resilient blue economies.
Forum members will also push for stronger international support for Pacific-led ocean initiatives and innovative financing mechanisms developed by Pacific Small Island Developing States.
Push towards 100 percent renewable energy
The declaration identifies renewable energy as both a climate imperative and a major energy security and development priority for the Pacific.
Leaders called for the tripling of global renewable energy capacity and the doubling of the global annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
They also called for increased investment across the Pacific in renewable energy, electrification, energy storage and climate-resilient energy infrastructure.
The transition, leaders said, must be inclusive.
They called for “just, inclusive and equitable transition pathways” that protect workers, Indigenous peoples, women, youth, marginalised groups and other communities.
Leaders also backed stronger regional renewable energy supply chains, manufacturing partnerships and technology transfer.
They called for faster decarbonisation of maritime and land transport, including through wind-assisted propulsion, green fuels and electrification.
Climate finance under pressure
The strongest demands in the declaration focus on climate finance, with leaders expressing “grave concern” at the lack of adequate, predictable and sustainable funding for Pacific countries.
They said the finance shortfall was increasing the exposure of already vulnerable populations to loss and damage and other global shocks.
The Forum called for adequate, predictable and accessible climate finance and greater recognition of the special circumstances and vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States in eligibility rules, allocation and access to climate and development finance.
Leaders called for effective delivery of Article 9 of the Paris Agreement and the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance, including grants and other non-debt creating instruments with simplified and direct access arrangements.
They also called for urgent action to close the adaptation finance gap, including responding to the UN climate process call to at least triple adaptation finance.
Forum leaders demanded increased funding to avert, minimise and address loss and damage, including through the timely and adequate replenishment of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.
They also called for scaled-up, predictable and grant-based finance directly accessible to Pacific Small Island Developing States to support renewable energy and adaptation without increasing unsustainable debt.
Backing for Pacific Resilience Facility
The declaration also puts the Pacific Resilience Facility at the centre of the region’s climate finance architecture.
Leaders called on the international community and multilateral and bilateral partners to help finance a fully capitalised Pacific Resilience Facility.
They described the facility as “the cornerstone of our financial architecture” for building resilience through Pacific community-led and Pacific community-owned interventions.
The Belau Declaration sends the Pacific into the next round of global climate negotiations with a sharpened message: commitments must now be matched by implementation and climate ambition must be backed by finance.
With Pacific leaders preparing for Pre-COP meetings and COP31, the declaration makes clear that the region will continue to press the international community to act faster to keep 1.5°C within reach and deliver the resources needed by communities already living with the consequences of climate change…..PACNEWS
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Concentric constitutionalism: environmental law in PNG
By Vergil Los Narokobi
PORT MORESBY, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (DEVPOLICY.ORG) — National Goal 4 of the preamble of Papua New Guinea’s Constitution calls for the wise use of PNG’s resources for the current generation and for future generations.
My central argument is that the wise use of PNG’s natural resources, from its constitutional foundation and apart from the interests of developers, should accommodate the interests of five main entities: the individual, the family, the village, the land, and the state or government. This, it is argued, can best be described as “concentric constitutionalism”, and it is to be differentiated from anthropocentric and ecocentric constitutionalism.
Anthropocentric constitutionalism is the prevailing view in environmental law. One of the main documents that reflects this is the Stockholm Conference of 1972, which frames environmental law as existing to safeguard Homo sapiens. The value of nature derives from its utility to the human being. The PNG Environment Act 2000 is indicative of the current anthropocentric conception of environmental protection.
Ecocentric constitutionalism, on the other hand, suggests that the law should actively protect the environment for its own sake, recognising its inherent value and right to exist and flourish. In an example of this, in March 2017, the New Zealand Parliament passed a law giving legal personhood to the Whanganui River. There are at least six countries that have granted legal personhood to nature: Ecuador, the United States (at the local and tribal level rather than nationally), Bolivia, India, New Zealand and Panama.
There are two sources of motivation for the ideas I am setting out here. The first is The Melanesian Way, a seminal 1980 text in Papua New Guinean indigenous thinking, authored by my father Bernard Narokobi soon after independence. Narokobi contributed to the writing of the PNG Constitution and was one of the country’s first lawyers.
The second source of my views is the National Goals and Directive Principles (NGDP), located in the preamble of the Constitution. Goal 1 is Integral Human Development; Goal 4 is Natural Resources and Environment, requiring sustainable use of resources; and Goal 5 is PNG Ways, promoting the country’s cultural identity.
The concept of concentric constitutionalism that I am proposing helps to understand how one might accommodate the various interests in PNG. It takes its cue from the Constitution, National Goal 1, “Integral Human Development”, Directive Principle 6, which asks for development to take place primarily through the use of Papua New Guinean forms of social and political organisation.
Papua New Guineans have occupied their lands, mountains, islands, seashores and rivers for 50,000 years. It has been an intricate, harmonious co-existence between humans, the physical environment and the flora and fauna. To view man as the primary objective of environmental protection would be wrong. To view nature as the primary objective of environmental protection would be equally wrong.
I argue that the various interests should be viewed as constituting an “ecosystem of biological, social and cultural relations”. The five interests — the individual, the family, the village, the land and the state — share a common centre and are best pictured as concentric rings rather than standing in a linear or hierarchical ordering.
The individual is at the centre of the various interests that exist. In my view, the exploitation of natural resources in PNG must be directed at the development of the whole person, or integral human development.
Following the individual, the next layer of interest is the family. Directive Principle 5 of National Goal 1 states:
… the family unit to be recognised as the fundamental basis of our society, and for every step to be taken to promote the moral, cultural, economic and social standing of the Melanesian family
The village or community comes next. The Melanesian Way (p. 13) outlines its importance:
A Melanesian village is a vital and dynamic human institution. It is not the shapeless, impersonal, juristic layout of buildings that a modern suburban city is. A village is a cultural unit, an organ of civilisation, technology and enterprise.
The extraction of resources must not only respect the environment but equally respect the villages and communities that occupy the space where these natural resources are located.
Following the village or community is the environment, for which I use the term land, intended in a general sense. Land in PNG is sacred. The Melanesian Way posits that land is not “real estate”, but “real life”. Our memory and spirit are situated in our land. Our land holds the life of our ancestors, and it is where we will be buried.
National Goal 4, “Natural Resources and Environment”, in directive principles 1 and 2, calls for:
(1) wise use to be made of our natural resources and the environment in and on the land or seabed, in the sea, under the land, and in the air, in the interests of our development and in trust for future generations; and
(2) the conservation and replenishment, for the benefit of ourselves and posterity, of the environment and its sacred, scenic and historical qualities.
I believe that the terms of directive principle 2 are wide enough to preserve the environment for its intrinsic “sacred, scenic and historical” value, and are sufficiently strong to resist any development activity that would destroy these qualities. Such a conclusion should only be reached after the interests of the individual, the family and the community are taken into account.
The state is the final layer of interest, occupying the outer circle. It bears the ultimate responsibility of balancing the varying interests through its three main functions: law-making, policy formulation and implementation, and adjudication.
In practical terms, this framework calls for several changes to the way PNG now regulates resource use.
First, the Environment Act 2000 and related laws should be redrafted so that approvals for extractive projects turn not only on impacts to air, water and ecosystems, but also on effects on the individual, the family and the village as distinct interests recognised in the National Goals.
Second, the village should have legal recognition and standing as a political and cultural unit, so that communities can appear in their own right in decisions about resources located on their land.
Third, courts and regulators should treat directive principle 2 of National Goal 4 as a substantive limit on development, capable of refusing consent to activities that would destroy the sacred, scenic or historical qualities of a place, once the interests of the individual, family and community have been considered.
In sum, while there is currently a shift in global thinking away from anthropocentric constitutionalism towards ecocentric constitutionalism, a careful consideration of PNG’s Constitution suggests a different approach. Whilst conferring legal personhood on natural entities enables specificity in environmental protection, the Constitution points to the need for patience and dialogue to accommodate the various levels of interest and ensure the wise use of its natural resources for present and future generations. This includes, where appropriate, preserving them for their sacred and scenic value…. PACNEWS
Justice Dr Vergil Los Narokobi is a National Court and Supreme Court judge of Papua New Guinea.
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Opinion| Why protecting biodiversity matters as the world grapples with multi-faceted challenges
APIA, 04 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SPREP) — As the countdown to the 11th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation in New Caledonia continues, Amenatave Yauvoli, SPREP Director Biodiversity and Conservation, shares his views on why this matters at a time when the world’s grappling with a number of challenges:
Culture, faith and identity are central to the lives of Pacific communities.
Sadly, at a time when the world is grappling with a trifecta of challenges ranging from wars, fuel shortages and changing weather patterns, these pillars are increasingly being challenged.
A key threat is the impact of the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
Today, the need to ensure our natural environment is protected as the bedrock for preservation of such key pillars, has never been more important. The reality for our Pacific communities is both unfair and grim.
Unfair in the sense that despite contributing only 0.01 percent of global emissions to the greenhouse gases that have warmed our planet, our people bear the brunt of the impacts.
Grim because we have seen rising seas swallow coastlines and erode our beaches. We have seen saltwater ruin farm soil and traditional crops, hotter temperatures and intense weather-related calamities have caused widespread devastation, claimed lives and spread climate-related illnesses. The loss of ancestral lands, language and traditional heritage…the list goes on.
But we don’t just dwell on such an unfair and grim reality. Our Pacific people are resilient, we overcome. And SPREP is actively engaged on several fronts to ensure our resilience is stronger, sustaining our Pacific environment, livelihoods and natural heritage in harmony with our cultures.
A key part of this work is the Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation.
First convened in 1975 as the Pacific Islands Conference on National Parks and Reserves to provide a regional voice for Pacific biodiversity, the meeting later expanded into the Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation, reflecting the full breadth of Pacific ecosystems, threatened species, marine and terrestrial areas, and the connections between nature and Pacific cultures.
It has since become the Pacific region’s most important gathering for biodiversity policy and practice. This is critical because our Pacific biodiversity is amongst the richest and most unique in the world.
It is home to many species, a great many of these are only found exclusively in our region. The tropical Pacific is home to 25 percent of the world’s coral reefs, and 3 percent of the world’s mangroves. The Pacific Ocean is also home to over half of the world’s whale and dolphin species, as well as sharks, rays, and turtles.
Our marine biodiversity feeds not only us, but the rest of the world. Approximately 70 percent of the world’s tuna catch is from the Pacific Ocean, and most of the protein in the diet of Pacific islanders is from near-shore pelagic, reef, and lagoon fisheries. Wetlands also provide habitats that support many species which we rely on for nutrition.
Our biodiversity also provides natural solutions. For instance, healthy wetlands such as mangroves help stabilise shoreline, reduce sediment loads that reach the lagoons, and buffer against sea level rise and storm damage. Maintaining healthy wetlands is often one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce shoreline erosion. In addition, reefs reduce wave energy on shores by at least 95 percent.
But our biodiversity is facing increasing new and emerging threats as a result of human activity, such as disease, invasive species, predator outbreaks, overfishing, destructive fishing, marine litter, ocean acidification, and climate change, to name a few.
Against this backdrop, the Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation plays a critical role in our collective effort to protect and preserve our biodiversity. From 7–11 September 2026 in Noumea, New Caledonia, we have the opportunity to continue this effort. We are excited about this gathering and SPREP is grateful for the chance to co-host the meeting with the Government of New Caledonia.
The conference marks an important milestone as conservation leaders and practitioners gather to launch and adopt the new Pacific Regional Framework for Nature Conservation 2026–2030, State of Environment and Conservation 2025 and endorse a new Declaration, reinforcing the region’s commitment to achieving the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and securing a resilient future for Pacific people and nature.
Why do these matter? Fifty-one years ago, when the Pacific Islands Conference on National Parks and Reserves was convened, a question was posed; what will it take to look after our Pacific environment, together?
The answer has been complex, winding and is still work in progress. What we have come to accept though is that nature conservation is not just the responsibility of governments and conservation organisations.
Everyone has a role to play. People and communities can help by protecting local ecosystems, respecting traditional knowledge and customary practices, reducing pollution, supporting sustainable use of natural resources, and taking part in local conservation activities. Small actions can contribute to healthier communities and a healthier Pacific, a key part in protecting and preserving our culture, faith and identity.
As Pacific communities, we are custodians of our rich biodiverse places and oceans, we have a duty to manage well and protect our natural capital for our children and the planet. Faith and traditional values also remind us that caring for creation is both a shared responsibility and a duty to future generation.
The 11th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation reflects our shared responsibility to protect and restore nature, uphold Pacific knowledge and cultures, and ensure that nature conservation supports the wellbeing of present and future generations. The journey continues!…. PACNEWS
