In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — COP31 President of Negotiations Bowen warns only 0.2 percent of climate adaptation finance reaches SIDS
2. PACIFIC — Pacific Ocean monitoring at risk as climate observation gaps threaten El Niño tracking
3. PACIFIC — GCF urges world to follow Solomon Islands’ lead on climate finance
4.PACIFIC — Niue’s ocean conservation model puts Pacific stewardship at centre of COP31 financing push
5. PACIFIC — Tonga PM recognised among 2026 Global Impact Leaders at COP31
6. UN — Stiell urges world leaders to turn climate pledges into action at COP31
7. PACIFIC — 1.5C is an ocean fight for the Pacific
8. UN — COP31 president urges leaders to turn climate targets into investment and action
9. PACIFIC — Not just a sinking island: Tuvaluan of Irish ancestry fights climate change and despair
10. PNG — Taiwan begins withdrawal of diplomatic personnel from Papua New Guinea
11. PACIFIC — PNG, Solomon Islands strengthen border security and cooperation
12. SAMOA — Samoa Opposition leader pleads not guilty to defamation charges
13. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji Airways offers voluntary separation and early retirement amid rising costs
14. PACNEWS BIZ — Air Niugini facing fleet shortage
15. PACNEWS BIZ — Building Confidence and Connections: Pacific Officers strengthen skills for fisheries trade
16. PACNEWS BIZ — PNG eyes venturing into, growing new industries
17. PACNEWS DIGEST — Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund join forces to scale up proven adaptation projects
18. PACNEWS DIGEST — The World must match Pacific climate leadership
PAC – COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
COP31 President of Negotiations Bowen warns only 0.2 percent of climate adaptation finance reaches SIDS
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Pacific Island countries are receiving just 0.2 percent of global climate finance for adaptation, a figure COP31 President of Negotiations Chris Bowen says must change as he calls for faster, fairer access to funding for vulnerable nations.
Addressing Heads of State and Government at the High-Level Segment of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, Bowen said the Pacific was already experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change, with the future of some island nations threatened by rising sea levels.
He highlighted Tuvalu, where he witnessed the impacts of climate change during the Pre-COP meeting, saying keeping global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius was a matter of survival for Pacific communities.
“For the people of Tuvalu and other countries at the climate front, keeping 1.5 degrees within reach is not merely a concept,” Bowen said.
“It is the difference between continuing to have a home or not, of survivable sea-level rise or not.”
Bowen said the latest science indicated the world would overshoot the 1.5-degree threshold but stressed that every fraction of a degree mattered and countries must accelerate action to limit the damage.
“Every fraction of a degree matters to lives, communities, economic stability and the environment,” he said.
He warned that climate change was no longer a future threat, pointing to glacial collapse in Nepal, heat-related deaths in Europe and an intensifying super El Niño as evidence of worsening impacts.
Bowen said the global climate crisis was unfolding alongside energy insecurity, geopolitical tensions, wars, rising living costs and growing electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence and data centres.
He described the situation as a global “polycrisis”, arguing that countries needed stronger international cooperation rather than retreating from multilateral action.
He said renewable energy, electrification and more diverse energy systems could help countries address energy security while reducing dependence on vulnerable supply chains.
Bowen said international cooperation had already helped reduce projected global warming from about four degrees Celsius before the Paris Agreement to approximately 2.6 degrees today.
He said the progress had helped drive US$2.2 trillion in global clean energy investment last year, twice the amount invested in fossil fuels, while clean energy jobs now outnumbered fossil fuel jobs globally.
Turning to Pacific priorities, Bowen highlighted the Taku Pakasoa Declaration adopted at the Pre-COP meeting in Fiji, which called for keeping 1.5 degrees within reach, strengthening resilience, improving access to finance and elevating ocean action.
He said the Pacific was leading with practical climate solutions, including the proposed Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), and urged countries supporting the region to engage with locally driven initiatives.
“And we ask countries supportive of the Pacific to engage fully with local, practical solutions like the PRF.”
The PRF is a Pacific-led initiative aimed at strengthening community resilience and improving access to funding for climate and disaster preparedness.
Bowen also welcomed Türkiye’s leadership on the Antalya Ocean Declaration, stressing the importance of protecting the ocean in global climate action.
He said the ocean absorbs almost 30percent of human-generated carbon dioxide and more than 90percent of the excess heat caused by global warming.
“COP31 can move ocean-climate action from dialogue to delivery, with practical, investable solutions,” he said.
Bowen outlined three key priorities emerging from consultations between Australia and Türkiye for COP31.
The first is accelerating electrification through the 35 by 35 pledge, which aims to increase electricity’s share of final energy consumption to one-third by 2035.
The second is strengthening adaptation and resilience, particularly as climate impacts become more severe under scenarios where global temperatures exceed 1.5 degrees.
The third is climate finance, with Bowen calling for funding to become faster, simpler and fairer so countries can translate their national climate commitments and adaptation plans into investable projects.
He said the Access to Finance Statement and Action Plan was an important step towards improving funding access, particularly for small island developing states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs).
Bowen said the Australia-Türkiye partnership had listened to countries throughout the year, including during the Pre-COP consultations in Fiji, and recognised the expectation that COP31 must deliver practical progress.
He said the two presidencies had agreed to pursue a Presidency-led, Party-driven decision to accelerate climate implementation.
“We are accelerating, not stepping back.
“And we will act in solidarity to address the climate crisis,” he said.
Bowen said a successful outcome in Antalya must include progress across the full negotiating agenda and give governments, investors, businesses and communities confidence that the global climate response remained on track.
He said governments needed to send a clear signal that they remained committed to tackling climate change despite growing economic and geopolitical pressures.
“To every Party we must be ready to work, listen and compromise.
“We are here together to fight this urgent common threat, climate change, with collective resolve and purpose,” Bowen said.
He said COP31 was an opportunity to demonstrate that multilateral cooperation could still deliver results at a critical time for the global climate response…. PACNEWS
PAC – COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Pacific Ocean monitoring at risk as climate observation gaps threaten El Niño tracking
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Gaps in ocean monitoring across the western Pacific are threatening the region’s ability to track and predict climate events such as El Niño, prompting an international call at COP31 to protect the global climate observing system.
The warning was delivered at a high-level event Wednesday, where COP31 Co-Presidents Türkiye and Australia announced a call to action to strengthen support for the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).
World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said the global network was essential for monitoring changes across the atmosphere, oceans, ice and land.
“It is vital we keep taking the planet’s pulse,” Saulo said.
She warned that some of the world’s most important climate observation networks were deteriorating, including systems used to monitor ocean conditions in the Pacific.
“Across a large part of the western Pacific, no moored buoys are operating near the equator. That region helps shape the El Niño we’re facing now,” she said.
The loss of these observations threatens the continuity and coverage of long-term ocean records, weakening the ability of scientists to predict and monitor major climate patterns.
Saulo said the world spent close to US$10 billion annually on climate observations, but funding remained inadequate to maintain essential monitoring networks over the long term.
“Records built over decades currently rest on short-term grants. On a single satellite. On a few specialists. On one copy of the data. We are funding long-term records with short-term money,” she said.
GCOS Chair Thelma Krug also warned that progress in observing the planet was at risk, with some measurements already declining and others facing possible interruption.
The Global Climate Observing System, co-sponsored by WMO and other partners, monitors more than 50 essential climate variables across the planet’s major environmental systems.
Its networks rely on international cooperation, as climate observations in one country or region contribute to forecasts and early warnings worldwide.
Saulo said basic weather observation networks agreed by countries were less than 40percent in place, while many least developed countries and small island developing states lacked the resources to maintain sufficient weather stations.
A draft GCOS High-Priority Action Plan identifies three priorities: protecting essential observation systems, closing monitoring gaps and safeguarding data, and maintaining international coordination.
The plan highlights the need for funding through initiatives such as the Systematic Observations Financing Facility, which supports observation networks in countries with limited resources.
Saulo said maintaining the coordination work would cost about US$10 million annually, while protecting observation systems and closing critical gaps would require about US$500 million a year.
“For what they tell us and what they protect, these are small sums,” she said.
The proposed action plan and the forthcoming GCOS Status Report are open for public review, with both scheduled for publication in February 2027.
The reports are expected to inform the UNFCCC’s Global Stocktake process and related climate action.
The Global Ocean Observing System’s 2026 status report, released last week, also outlined progress in marine monitoring while warning of continuing gaps and risks to ocean observations…. PACNEWS
PAC – COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
GCF urges world to follow Solomon Islands’ lead on climate finance
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Green Climate Fund (GCF) Executive Director Mafalda Duarte has challenged countries to follow Solomon Islands’ lead in supporting global climate finance, describing its US$400,000 pledge towards the Fund’s next replenishment as a historic demonstration of leadership and solidarity.
Duarte said it was significant that Solomon Islands, a country classified as both a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) and a Least Developed Country (LDC), had made the first pledge to the GCF’s next replenishment cycle.
“This is a historic moment for the Green Climate Fund, and a powerful message to the world,” Duarte said.
She said countries that had contributed least to climate change but faced some of its most devastating consequences were stepping forward to demonstrate leadership.
“Countries that have contributed the least to climate change, yet face some of its most devastating consequences, are not waiting for others to act.
They are stepping forward and setting the pace for global climate action,” she said.
Duarte called on other countries, particularly major economies, to follow Solomon Islands’ example and help ensure the next replenishment delivered greater climate finance to developing countries.
“Solomon Islands has set the bar; now it is time for others to follow the lead and ensure this replenishment is a turning point in how the world delivers climate finance,” she said.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale said his country’s contribution reflected the daily impacts of climate change on its communities and its determination to take responsibility despite having limited resources.
“In Solomon Islands, climate change is not something we read about in reports. It is something our people live with every day.
“Saltwater is creeping into our wells, king tides are washing through homes, and families are facing the painful question of whether they can remain on the land their ancestors called home,” Wale said.
Wale said the Pacific had not caused the climate crisis but would not wait for others to act.
“The Pacific did not create this crisis, but we will not stand by and wait for others to act,” he said.
He urged the world’s largest economies to make their own contributions, saying the success of climate finance must be measured by the difference it makes to vulnerable communities.
“The true measure of success will not be the promises made here in Antalya, but the difference we make to the lives of our people and the generations that follow,” Wale said.
Solomon Islands’ US$400,000 contribution is the first pledge towards the GCF’s next replenishment, which aims to mobilise international finance for climate action in developing countries and is scheduled to conclude in October 2027.
Pacific island countries face growing threats from tropical cyclones, sea-level rise, coastal and inland flooding, with critical infrastructure and essential services often located in highly exposed areas.
These impacts threaten water supplies, energy access, connectivity and livelihoods, increasing the need for investment in climate resilience.
Through its partnership with the GCF, Solomon Islands is advancing national climate priorities, including strengthening community resilience, expanding renewable energy access and supporting climate-resilient development.
The next replenishment will determine the resources available to support developing countries in responding to climate change in the coming funding period…. PACNEWS
PAC – COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Niue’s ocean conservation model puts Pacific stewardship at centre of COP31 financing push
By Sera Tikotikoivatu- Sefeti in Antalya, Turkiye
ANTALYA 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Niue’s model for financing long-term ocean conservation is attracting international investment, with more than half of its conservation commitments sold to supporters across 37 countries.
The initiative was presented at a COP31 high-level session, From Commitment to Action: Custodians of the Blue Pacific Continent, which examined how the Pacific can secure recognition and financing for the 28 million square kilometers of ocean under its stewardship.
Coral Pasisi, Vice President of the New Ocean Wide (NOW) Trust, explains how Niue developed a financial instrument that links ocean protection with investment in the resilience and livelihoods of its communities.
“We use those costs to structure a unit for every square kilometre of ocean. We sell one OCC, and that is USD$150, and that assures the protection of that square kilometre for 20 years, and hopefully in perpetuity,” she said.
The session held at the Moana Blue Pacific Pavillion showcases the showcased the Pacific Ocean Wide Ambition (POWA), a Pacific-owned and governed framework designed to recognise, value and finance ocean conservation, building on Niue’s existing Ocean Wide model.
Niue has 127,000 square kilometres of ocean commitments to sell. Pasisi said the initiative was already halfway towards meeting that target.
“The proceeds are invested through the New Ocean Wide Trust, with returns funding ocean protection, community resilience and opportunities for young people to participate in the blue economy.”
She adds, “Those purchasing commitments receive certificates recognising them as guardians of Niue’s conservation area and reports detailing how their contributions are used.”
The initiative has attracted support from individuals, businesses, philanthropic organisations, governments and multilateral funding sources.
“We are not financial specialists,” she said. “We don’t come from a big fancy university that creates those financial regulatory systems or anything like that. We just are people who know the ocean, who’ve worked in that space for a long time, who are fishermen, fisherwomen, and we put all of our effort into creating something that actually would work.”
The initiative has also been selected as an Earthshot Prize finalist.
According to Pasisi the international interest had demonstrated that a conservation financing model developed in Niue could attract support beyond the country.
For Pasisi, the initiative is closely connected to the role the ocean has played in the lives of Pacific communities.
“We didn’t have money when we were kids. The ocean was our entertainment. It was our movie theatre. It was our pantry cupboard. And as we grew up, it became the source that underpinned our education. So, it really gave us everything that we need,” she said.
She said the objective was to ensure future generations could maintain that relationship with the ocean.
“If it’s not in good health, and it can’t tell those stories to my kids or their children, then we’ve failed.”
The Pacific Ocean Wide Ambition seeks to build on Niue’s experience and extend the approach across the region, creating a framework through which countries and communities can receive direct, long-term financing for ocean stewardship.
The session also highlighted the Pacific’s position as a custodian of globally significant marine ecosystems, with the region seeking recognition and compensation for its role in protecting them…. PACNEWS
PAC – COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Tonga PM recognised among 2026 Global Impact Leaders at COP31
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Tonga Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua has been named among the 2026 100 Global Impact Leaders, using the international recognition to highlight whale conservation and the role of ocean protection in addressing climate change.
Fakafanua received the recognition at the Global Impact Leaders Summit and Honours Ceremony held during COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
The awards, hosted by the Global CSR Foundation, the European organisation and Rotary International, recognise leaders contributing to sustainable development and international cooperation.
During the ceremony, Fakafanua highlighted the connection between marine biodiversity, ocean health and climate resilience, calling for whale conservation to be recognised as part of the global climate response.
He used the example of a humpback whale mother leaving Tongan waters to feed in the Southern Ocean to illustrate how migratory species connect marine ecosystems across national boundaries.
He said protecting whales and their habitats required international cooperation and a broader approach to ocean conservation that recognised the ocean’s role in the global climate system.
The recognition also highlighted Tonga’s longstanding commitment to whale protection.
In 1978, the late King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV issued a Royal Decree prohibiting whale hunting in Tongan waters and establishing the country as a whale sanctuary.
Tonga’s Prime Minister’s Office said whale protection was part of the wider Pacific effort to safeguard marine ecosystems, strengthen ocean resilience and protect natural resources relied on by island communities.
“For Tonga and the wider Pacific, climate action must account for the health of the ocean and the biodiversity it sustains,” the office said.
It said the recognition provided an opportunity to bring Tonga’s perspectives on ocean conservation and climate action into international discussions at COP31.
Fakafanua and a Tongan delegation are attending the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, which runs from 9 to 20 November in Antalya.
The Tongan Government said the recognition also highlighted the importance of the Blue Pacific’s contribution to global discussions on climate change and ocean protection… PACNEWS
UN – COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Stiell urges world leaders to turn climate pledges into action at COP31
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell has challenged world leaders to turn climate commitments into practical action, warning that climate change, energy market instability and disasters are increasing economic pressures on countries and households.
Addressing Heads of State and Government at the opening of the High-Level Segment of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, Stiell said climate action was essential to national security, economic stability and the protection of communities.
“The security of every one of your nations depends on climate action,” he told world leaders.
Stiell said international climate cooperation, alongside national efforts, had helped reduce projected global warming from well over four degrees Celsius to about 2.6 degrees.
He said cooperation had also brought adaptation into mainstream climate policy and accelerated the transition to clean energy, with investment in clean energy now exceeding investment in fossil fuels.
However, he warned that progress remained too slow and unequal, with vulnerable countries still lacking the support needed to respond to climate impacts.
“Action is not yet fast enough – the science demands we drastically pace up. And it’s not yet fair enough – the benefits have not been shared equally,” Stiell said.
“Nations need far more support – particularly the most vulnerable, who have done practically nothing to cause the crisis.”
He said the priority must be to deliver greater benefits to more people, and at a faster pace.
Stiell warned that instability in global energy markets and climate disasters was adding to inflation, putting pressure on government budgets, increasing household bills and reducing living standards.
“The political costs of fossil fuel dependency are unforgiving,” he said.
He said investment in clean energy could reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets while strengthening energy security and building more stable economies.
He also stressed the importance of disaster resilience, saying stronger protection against climate impacts would safeguard communities and strengthen global supply chains.
“Climate action can help relieve the pressure,” he said.
Stiell said COP31 must focus on translating existing international commitments and national climate plans into practical solutions that deliver economic and social benefits.
He identified three priorities for the conference: electrifying economies, tripling finance for adaptation, and improving the delivery of and access to climate finance without reopening previous agreements.
“We must bring more benefits, to more people, much faster,” he said.
Stiell said the conference would work through two complementary tracks: formal climate negotiations and the Global Climate Action Agenda, which aims to bring governments, businesses and the wider economy closer to the climate process.
He urged national leaders to ensure their ministers secured both a strong negotiated outcome and meaningful progress under the Action Agenda before leaving Antalya.
“So please, tell your ministers we cannot leave Antalya without a strong negotiated outcome. Or meaningful results on the Action Agenda,” he said.
Stiell said countries already had global commitments on climate finance, the energy transition and adaptation, while their national climate action plans provided a basis for jobs and economic growth.
He said COP31 was an opportunity to turn those commitments into tangible benefits for people and economies.
“This is a chance to bank the benefits of climate action. It’s up to you to take it,” he said…. PACNEWS
PAC – OCEANS: ISLANDS BUSINESS PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
1.5C is an ocean fight for the Pacific
SUVA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (ISLANDS BUSINESS) — For Pacific communities, the question of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius is also a question about what happens beneath the water: to reefs, fisheries and the ocean systems on which island life depends.
Katherine Millage, a marine scientist with the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas team, said climate discussions need to give the ocean more space.
“Especially as we’re talking in the Pacific context, the oceans are so critically important,” she said. “And I think this often gets outweighed in climate conversations.”
Pristine Seas began working in the Pacific in 2023. Pristine Seas began engaging with governments, communities, and other stakeholders in Fiji and Tuvalu in 2024, followed by expeditions in Tuvalu in 2025 and in Fiji, including Kadavu, the Yasawas, and the Great Sea Reef region.
The work aims to document biodiversity: which species are present, how many there are, and what roles they play. Researchers survey seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles at sea or on land, while divers study fish, invertebrates, and corals. Remote cameras, including baited underwater video systems, help researchers examine habitats and predator populations such as sharks.
The findings can take about a year to process. When the data is ready, Millage said, the team returns to present it to governments and other stakeholders to inform marine spatial planning, national action plans, and conservation priorities.
In Tuvalu, researchers observed “really widespread coral mortality” at a level the team had not expected, she said. The government responded positively, despite the difficult finding.
“Findings like this really underscore the importance of protection,” Millage said. “The more information, be that science or traditional knowledge, is really the best way that governments have to manage their resources.”
Millage said climate discussions about the ocean should not stop at coral reefs and mangroves. She said the deep sea, pelagic waters, and areas beyond national jurisdictions also belong in the picture, describing the deep sea as “very alive parts of the ocean.”
She also pointed to the ocean’s connectivity. Currents, tides and winds move through a system in which “most parts of the ocean” are connected, she said.
On the 1.5-degree goal, Millage said she was optimistic it could be reached, adding that “the lower we can keep that number is obviously going to be better.”
She said the future of ocean health should not be framed only in despair. Coral reefs, she said, can recover after disturbances with protection and responsible fisheries.
“The conversation about future ocean health I don’t think is negative,” she said. “There’s a lot of cases to be made for optimism.”
For the Pacific, she said, that optimism depends in part on treating ocean health as central to climate policy. “If I had one piece of advice or one thing that I’d like to see happen at the COP31,” she said, “it is really for this dialogue about ocean health as a component of a healthy climate to really take centre stage…. PACNEWS
UN – COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
COP31 president urges leaders to turn climate targets into investment and action
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — COP31 President Murat Kurum has challenged world leaders to turn climate commitments into funded projects, accessible finance and stronger national resilience, warning that climate change is increasingly linked to energy security, food and water security, economic development and national security.
Addressing Heads of State and Government at the High-Level Segment of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, Kurum said the 1.5-degree Celsius target must remain the guiding goal of global climate action, despite rising temperatures and increasingly severe climate disasters.
“The 1.5°C goal is the compass that guides us all. It must remain so,” he said.
Kurum said the world needed to move beyond setting climate targets and focus on delivering practical results through national investment programmes, improved access to climate finance and stronger disaster preparedness.
He outlined three priorities for the COP31 Presidency, developed in cooperation with Australia, which holds the Presidency of Negotiations.
The first is to translate national climate commitments into investment programmes, ensuring targets are backed by budgets and projects that create jobs, advance technology and strengthen economies.
Under Türkiye’s proposed 35-by-35 Global Electrification Commitment, countries would work towards increasing electricity’s share of final energy consumption to 35percent by 2035.
Kurum said the commitment offered an opportunity to strengthen global cooperation on energy security and technological transformation.
He also called for stronger action on waste reduction, the circular economy and methane emissions, saying economic development could not continue on the assumption that natural resources were unlimited.
The second priority is improving access to climate finance, particularly for developing countries struggling to turn national climate plans into funded projects.
“When projects spend years waiting for funding, when available resources fail to become investments, or when countries are weighed down by debt, we lose time and weaken our ability to find solutions together,” he said.
Kurum said climate finance must be delivered faster, made more accessible and used more effectively.
He highlighted the Climate Implementation Bridge, developed under Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency, as a mechanism to connect national climate plans with projects, funding, technology and expertise.
The third priority is placing resilience at the centre of national development policies, including investment in cities, water resources, agriculture and critical infrastructure.
Kurum cited Türkiye’s reconstruction following the February 2023 earthquakes, saying the country had handed over 455,000 homes to citizens as part of its recovery programme.
He said the experience demonstrated the importance of preparing communities before disasters strike.
“Resilience is the strength to rise after disaster, and the resolve to prepare before it strikes,” he said.
Kurum also pointed to the global impacts of climate change, citing floods and landslides in Nepal, flooding in Pakistan and the threat of rising sea levels to Pacific Island countries.
He said climate change was no longer a separate environmental issue but was increasingly connected to energy, industry, agriculture, development and security.
The COP31 president stressed that climate action must be guided by justice, taking into account the different resources, responsibilities and development needs of countries.
“Climate justice requires a system that enables every country to advance towards our common goal according to its means, capabilities and development circumstances,” he said.
He called for a system that protects developing countries’ right to development while improving vulnerable nations’ access to finance and technology.
Kurum said countries could have competing national interests, but climate threats such as water shortages, food insecurity and natural disasters required collective solutions.
He said investment decisions made today would determine the energy security, safety and economic opportunities available to future generations.
“An energy choice we make today can safeguard a country’s energy security half a century from now. A water basin we protect today can bring abundance to the tables of children yet unborn,” he said.
Kurum urged world leaders to use COP31 to move from political commitments to concrete action, saying decisions taken at the conference should deliver benefits beyond their time in office.
“Let Antalya stand as the city where promises turn into action,” he said…. PACNEWS
PAC – COP31: IRISH TIMES PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Not just a sinking island: Tuvaluan of Irish ancestry fights climate change and despair
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (IRISH TIMES) — Whenever Eliala Fihaki goes through passport control at an airport, she can tell by the look on the immigration officer’s face they aren’t immediately familiar with what’s stated as her place of birth.
Tuvalu, it says. “The sinking island,” she’ll prompt them. “Then they know.”
She doesn’t like to reference her home place like that, feeling it reduces Tuvalu to a lost cause.
“It’s a very negative association. I just wish people knew that we’re not only coming here to ask for money and beg for help.
“There’s more to us than that – our identity, culture, language. We are not defined by despair.”
A special event in Inishbofin last September made that very clear.
The Climate Gathering movement brought together environmentalists, climate campaigners, community activists and people from religious, political and artistic backgrounds to discuss how to support climate action.
Fihaki was among them, delighted to visit the birthplace of her ancestor, Jack O’Brien, who, like many Irish before him, set sail for Australia four generations ago but, unlike many others kept going to Tuvalu.
While those gathered on Inishbofin would marvel at how far she had travelled, Fihaki would insist Ireland and Tuvalu were closer than they realised.
“We are people of the ocean. It has never separated us from the world. It has connected us to it,” she said.
Now attending the Cop31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, she joined in another Climate Gathering event.
This one was aimed at rallying civil society support for Ireland and Tuvalu’s joint hosting of the second international Transition Away From Fossil Fuels conference next summer.
The conference grew from impatience among dozens of countries that Cops alone were not achieving fossil fuel phase-out.
Fihaki, who now lives in New Zealand with her Tongan-New Zealand husband and their four children, is enthusiastic for the process.
Anything that spurs action on the climate challenges facing her birthplace, and all small island states in the Pacific, will help, she says.
She travels back to Tuvalu as much as possible and says she would have liked never to leave but needed to provide more secure futures for her children.
“My mother and siblings are there and I try and go back every now and then when I have the money.
“I don’t care if I use all my savings – when your heart longs for something, you have to follow it.”
Tuvalu wants to physically host next year’s conference, which will be a huge logistical challenge for a tiny island.
Fihaki says Ireland’s support with finance, personnel and expertise will be important.
“But it’s not only resources. I think the emotional support will be important – connecting to the heart will give us strength,” said Fihaki…. PACNEWS
PNG – DIPLOMACY: TAIWAN NEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Taiwan begins withdrawal of diplomatic personnel from Papua New Guinea
PORT MORESBY/TAIPEI, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (TAIWAN NEWS) — Taiwan has begun withdrawing its diplomatic and technical personnel from Papua New Guinea following a directive by the PNG Government to close its representative office in Port Moresby.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said several personnel would remain temporarily to oversee the closure, while all other diplomatic staff and workers of the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund, the government’s foreign aid agency, would leave the country.
The ministry said it would arrange for Taiwanese embassies and representative offices in neighbouring countries to provide consular assistance to about 100 Taiwanese nationals living in Papua New Guinea, with support from the Overseas Community Affairs Council.
Official vehicles, equipment and other movable assets at the office will be inventoried, auctioned or transferred in accordance with property management regulations.
Taiwan announced on Friday that it would close its de facto representative office in Papua New Guinea, which was established in 1990, following renewed demands by the PNG Government for its personnel to leave.
Papua New Guinea’s Department of Foreign Affairs said its Secretary, Elias Wohengu, had formally notified Taiwan’s representative, Chiu Chen-yu, of the decision.
The department gave Chiu and First Secretary Lee Chung-nun seven days to leave the country, while another diplomat, Pan Shao-jyun, would remain to oversee the closure process within a year.
Taiwan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said the decision to close the office and withdraw its personnel would be accompanied by a comprehensive review and adjustment of bilateral relations.
The ministry said the review would take into account Taiwan’s “national dignity, diplomatic autonomy and overall national interests”.
Papua New Guinea Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko first demanded the closure of Taiwan’s representative office on 16 July, citing PNG’s adherence to the One China policy.
Although the PNG Government announced the closure as immediate, Taiwan’s office continued operating following the initial directive.
In July, Taiwan also announced the suspension of spot purchases of Papua New Guinea liquefied natural gas in response to the order to close its representative office.
The latest withdrawal marks a further deterioration in relations between Taiwan and Papua New Guinea, which maintains diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China under the One China policy…. PACNEWS
PAC – DIPLOMACY: EMTV PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
PNG, Solomon Islands strengthen border security and cooperation
PORT MORESBY, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (EMTV) — Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands are strengthening border security and intelligence sharing while improving the movement of people and goods across their shared border.
The two countries agreed on updated strategic priorities following a two-day bilateral workshop between senior officials of the Papua New Guinea Immigration and Citizenship Service Authority (ICSA) and the Solomon Islands Immigration Division in Port Moresby from 5–6 November.
The workshop reviewed the 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and its implementation action plan, with both sides agreeing to update the framework to formalise governance arrangements and guide future cooperation.
The revised MOU is expected to be signed in Honiara early next year, alongside the launch of the Solomon Islands Immigration Division’s new Border Management System e-Payment Gateway.
A key achievement recognised during the review was Papua New Guinea’s support for the establishment of an independent border management system in Solomon Islands, a target under the original action plan that was completed last year.
Officials also discussed border infrastructure developments, including the opening of the international border crossing at Kangu in Bougainville.
PNG Immigration Chief Migration Officer Wellington Navasivu said the Kangu crossing was important for managing the movement of people and goods across the shared border.
“The Kangu crossing was a critical development for the safe and orderly movement of people and goods across the shared border,” Navasivu said.
The workshop also produced a joint policy statement outlining the two immigration authorities’ commitment to facilitating legitimate travel while strengthening border security.
“Building upon a long history as close neighbours and deeply rooted people-to-people links, Solomon Islands Immigration and PNG Immigration are united in a joint commitment to facilitate genuine travel across our shared borders, including traditional border inhabitants, while coordinating their border security efforts to rigorously secure these arrangements against exploitation,” Navasivu said.
Under the updated action plan, both countries identified several priorities, including improving real-time intelligence sharing, refining standard operating procedures for traditional border crossers and coordinating regional capacity-building to address human trafficking and transnational organised crime.
The Solomon Islands Director of Immigration said continued implementation of the 2024 agreement would help improve border services while maintaining security.
“By continuing to implement the framework established in 2024, both immigration authorities will ensure that border crossings become more efficient for genuine travellers and local communities while maintaining robust security measures against illegal exploitation,” the director said.
The two countries said the updated cooperation framework would strengthen border management while supporting traditional cross-border connections and legitimate movement between neighbouring communities…. PACNEWS
SAMOA – COURTS: SAMOA GLOBAL NEWS PACNEWS 3: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Samoa Opposition leader pleads not guilty to defamation charges
APIA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (SAMOA GLOBAL NEWS) — Samoa Opposition Leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has pleaded not guilty to all four charges brought against him following a complaint lodged by Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt.
“Your Honour, through Counsel, Tuilaepa enters a plea of not guilty to all charges,” defence lawyer Meleiseā Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio told the Court.
Police charged Tuilaepa on 13 August 2026 with defamation and harassment using electronic means.
Harassment using electronic means under Section 219 of the Crimes Act 2013 carries a maximum penalty of 5 years imprisonment while publishing false information intended to harm another person’s reputation under Section 117A carries a maximum penalty of 3 months in prison.
During Wednesdays court appearance, Senior District Court Judge Talasa Atoa informed Counsels representing both parties that the case would be heard alongside an additional set of charges brought against Tuilaepa by the Prime Minister.
Defence Counsel Meleisea Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio agreed with the judge.
He explained that the cases involved the same defendant and arose under similar provisions of the Crimes Act.
Counsel said hearing the matters together would help avoid unnecessary delays and allow the defence to deal with the cases at the same time.
The District Court Judge Talasa Atoa Saaga agreed to adjourn the matters to 1–3 March 2027, allowing defence counsel to file a formal application for the cases to be heard together
Those charges stem from another complaint lodged by the Prime Minister over alleged statements made by Tuilaepa during an online programme on 6 August.
Judge Saaga issued another direction prohibiting Tuilaepa from further offences against the Prime Minister.
The Judge said the order was intended to prevent further issues and additional charges from arising while the existing cases were being prepared for hearing.
“I therefore make an additional order that the defendant refrain from making any comments about the complainant and about any matters that are defamatory in nature, or any comments that are against the complainant,” the Judge said.
In response, defence Counsel Meleiseā said Tuilaepa understood the restriction against making defamatory comments.
However, counsel maintained that Hon Tuilaepa Sailele still had responsibilities as the Opposition Leader to comment on issues of public interest.
The defence also raised concerns about outstanding translated court documents and copies of the charges.
Prosecution had previously been directed to provide the documents but had yet to do so.
Counsel said the delay was affecting the defence’s preparation and expressed concern that previous court directions had not been followed.
Prosecution gave their assurance to have the trial documents presented to Defence.
Defence counsel Meleiseā Faimalomatumua also informed the Court of his intention to apply for another case against Tuilaepa brought by the Minister of Education and Culture, Aiono Alec Ekeroma, to be heard together with Tuilaepa’s matters.
Tuilaepa was not present in Court today, as he is currently in New Zealand for routine medical checks.
Judge Saaga reminded defence counsel to ensurea his client is present in Court for the hearing.
The matter is scheduled to be heard on the first week of March 2027…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
FIJI – AIRLINE: FIJI VILLAGE PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Fiji Airways offers voluntary separation and early retirement amid rising costs
NADI, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (FIJI VILLAGE) — Fiji Airways is offering eligible employees’ voluntary separation and early retirement packages as the national airline responds to rising operating costs and an additional $300 million (US$150 million) in fuel expenses this year.
The airline, which has a workforce of about 2,200 employees, confirmed the programme following reports that staff had received emails outlining the voluntary options.
Fiji Airways Chief People Officer Anna Morris said participation in the programme was entirely voluntary, with applications to be assessed against the airline’s operational requirements.
She stressed that safety remained the airline’s highest priority.
Morris said the programme was part of Fiji Airways’ response to higher operating costs.
The airline clarified that the offers were for voluntary separation and voluntary early retirement and did not constitute a compulsory redundancy programme.
Fiji Airways said it would continue communicating directly with employees but would not comment further at this stage.
The airline has not disclosed how many employees it hopes to have participate in the programme or whether it is targeting a reduction in its current workforce.
It described the matter as an internal issue that would not be discussed publicly…. PACNEWS
PNG – AIRLINE: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Air Niugini facing fleet shortage
PORT MORESBY, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (THE NATIONAL) —Air Niugini is experiencing a current fleet shortage which resulted in a backlog of passengers for its domestic routes almost daily and during the peak period, says an official.
Chief executive officer Alan Milne said to aide in this situation, Air Niugini has put in a requisition for another three Airbus A220 -100 to be added to its fleet next year.
Milne was responding to questions by The National on how the State-owned entity was addressing the issue of passenger being stranded at the ports almost daily following flight cancellations.
He said there were three Airbus aircrafts A220 currently operating on international routes and that was used on some of the domestic sectors as well.
“The next three were due in August, September and December 2027 of A220 – 100 that will primary be for domestic operations,” he said.
“That should help with the backlog and a better product with comfort as you have better seating and Wi-Fi but it’s far more economical to operate those aircrafts and longer generation.”
The airline has over the years faced severe passenger backlogs, flight cancellations, and offloading issues due to what has been stated as fleet shortages, grounded aircraft needing maintenance and regional fuel supply issues.
Passengers have raised issues during peak travel times due to continuous disruptions, cancellations where dozens of domestic flights dropped out of Port Moresby’s Jackson International Airport have left many passengers stranded for days during peak travel periods.
The intermittent fuel supply challenges and foreign currency pressures have compounded schedule reliability and thus in response to severe overcrowding and complaints from ticketed passengers who were repeatedly offloaded, the airline moved to close or restrict bookings on select routes while working to clear backlogs.
Milne said: “The education process as an international convention is that we don’t have to provide accommodation or transport, however, Air Niugini policy goes over and above.
“If you are not in your home port, you don’t have the opportunity to go back home, then we will look after you, but that’s over and above the requirement under the law.”
Transport secretary Mathew Wowoni said: “One thing everyone must understand is when you have restructuring going on in an airline, you have the tendency of replacing aircraft, bringing in new ones and there is always going to be a gap that needs to be filled and of course, for you to balance out the changeover of aircrafts.
“We are phasing out Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 and we are going out of the system and bringing in Boeing A220 which also requires upgrade of current airports we have.
“When you have lower handing engines, you cannot fly or land on spaces in runways and this comes under the Civil Aviation Development Investment Programme’s (Cadip) in terms of extension of airport and in line with Air Niugini’s expansion.
“When you bring in bigger aircrafts, you need longer runways, better facilities to cater for it and so while Air Niugini is expanding on one side, the infrastructure part of it also plays a significant factor to the success of the whole aviation industry,” Wowoni said…. PACNEWS
PAC – FISHERIES: FFA PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Building Confidence and Connections: Pacific Officers Strengthen Skills for Fisheries Trade
SUVA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (FFA) — -For Donny Andrike, a Competent Authority Officer with the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority, the recent two-week training in Fiji was more than a refresher. It was a reminder of why the work he and his small team do matters and that they are not alone in the challenges they face.
“We know we are not alone in these challenges,” Andrike said. “We’re all going through the same challenges. Gatherings such as these are very positive because we get to hear the experiences of fellow officers from across the region.”
Andrike was among around 15 officers from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu who came together in Suva for the National Competent Authority Officer Training Programme.
The two-week programme, organised by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) through the European Union-funded Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP II), brought together officers responsible for helping ensure Pacific fisheries products meet the standards required to enter international markets.
For many Pacific Island countries, access to overseas markets is vital. Behind every shipment of tuna and other fisheries products, however, is a system of inspections, standards, certification and controls to ensure products meet strict sanitary and hygiene requirements.
A small team with a big responsibility
Andrike has worked with the Marshall Islands Competent Authority for over three years. As a relatively new division within the Marine Resources Authority, his team plays an important role in supporting the country’s tuna industry.
Their work includes implementing official controls for tuna exports, helping establishments meet international market requirements, and improving sanitary and hygiene conditions across the industry.
It is a big responsibility for a small team.
Donny Andrike says this training strenghtens his existing knowledge, skills and professional competencies. Photo: FFA
Back home, Andrike works alongside a team leader and three officers. For him, the opportunity to train with colleagues from across the Pacific is not only about building technical knowledge, but also about learning from others facing similar challenges.
“This is my second opportunity to attend a fish inspectors training,” he said. “It is a good refresher for me. It strengthens my existing capacity and competencies.”
Andrike has attended several FFA-organised trainings’ since joining the Competent Authority in 2023. This time, he said, the programme helped reinforce what he has learned and build on his experience.
The sessions on legal instruments, legislation and the development of industry standards and control plans particularly stood out.
“These are the basis for what we are able to do,” he said. “The work that has been done around developing industry standards and control plans around the Pacific – I think we are benefiting from that experience.”
But for Andrike, the value of the training goes beyond technical knowledge.
“I think it motivates us to do better and to continue to improve,” he said.
Maintaining compliance, he added, is an ongoing task. As countries strengthen their systems and create new opportunities for their fisheries products, the challenge is also to sustain the progress they have made.
“I hope I can go back and make some positive impact on the rest of our small team,” he said.
Learning beyond the classroom
The training was not all spent in the meeting room. Participants also visited Golden Ocean, a fish processing facility in Suva, where they saw some of the systems and practices discussed during the programme in action.
For Patrick Lanwi, a Competent Authority Officer from Marshall Islands, the visit was a chance to compare the operations in Fiji with those back home.
“There are some things that are the same process for us in RMI,” he said. “One good thing I learned is something that we can bring back.”
Lanwi said much of the training refreshed knowledge gained through previous training, while also providing new ideas he could take home.
The training also included a visit to the Golden Ocean Plant. Donny Andrike, washing his hands and in PPE gear at the fish processing plant.
With a new colleague recently joining his team, he is also looking forward to sharing what he has learned. It is a simple but important part of building capacity – learning from others, returning home and sharing that knowledge with the next person.
“I can try my best to train him the best way I can,” he said.
Moving forward together
While each country faces its own circumstances, the officers shared many of the same challenges – from building and maintaining effective official control systems to keeping up with changing market requirements.
For Andrike, learning alongside officers from other Pacific countries was one of the most valuable parts of the programme.
“We are very fortunate to have regional organisations that organise us, guide us and provide the support we need,” he said.
The two-week National Competent Authority Officer Training Programme was led by FFA Market Access Specialist Ratu Jope Tamani, who guided participants through key areas of official controls, food safety, inspection and market access requirements.
“This training is about building the confidence and skills of our officers so they can return home better prepared to support their industries,” Tamani said.
“The work of Competent Authority officers is important in helping Pacific fisheries products meet the standards required in international markets. Just as importantly, bringing officers together allows them to learn from each other, share their experiences and know that many of the challenges they face are shared across the region.”
As the officers return home, they take with them more than notes from two weeks of training. They return to small teams, growing industries and the ongoing work of helping Pacific fisheries products meet international standards.
They also take home new connections, shared experiences and renewed confidence in the work ahead.
For Andrike, that sense of connection is just as important as the technical skills gained. The work continues at home, but after two weeks alongside fellow officers from across the Pacific, there is comfort in knowing they are not doing it alone.
Donny Andrike, and his fellow Competent Authority Officers from Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Fiji who attended the Training in Suva, Fiji. Photo: FFA
The National Competent Authority Officer Training Programme was held in Suva, Fiji, from 12–23 October 2026…. PACNEWS
PNG – NEW INDUSTRIES: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 12 Nov 2026
PNG eyes venturing into, growing new industries
ST. JOHNS’S, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (THE NATIONAL) — Papua New Guinea is pushing to move away from relying only on mining, oil and gas, and to grow new industries that will create jobs and bring in investment.
Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko told Commonwealth and business leaders at a breakfast meeting in Antigua and Barbuda last week that the Government was following a path of economic diversification to broaden the country’s export base.
Tkatchenko said the diversification plan was supported by two major policy agendas that were critical to driving trade and investment, including the Special Economic Zones agenda.
“At this juncture, allow me to express my gratitude to the Commonwealth for selecting Papua New Guinea as one of the 15 pilot countries to have a trade portal set up and established,” he said.
“This initiative complements the Government’s drive on the establishment of a PNG National Single Window.
“We are now at the data harmonisation phase harmonising the trade process of 37 government regulating agencies.
“We intend to meet the end date for system implementation by 2030.”
The Special Economic Zones agenda would promote downstream processing and value addition across the renewable and non-renewable sectors, driving import substitution and industrialisation.
Potential investors were offered tax incentives in identified zones.
Tkatchenko said in August this year, the Securities Commission of Papua New Guinea, as part of sustainable financing, launched the issuance of green bonds, social bonds and sustainable bonds.
He said the Government has embarked on these new initiatives to bridge the gap between global capital markets and sustainable development goals.
Infrastructure was a critical enabler to economic growth.
The PNG Connect programme 2020 to 2040 is an infrastructure drive to physically connect 10 million people scattered across more than 600 islands, through roads, bridges, air and seaport infrastructure.
Tkatchenko said the drive was also a catalyst to pursue technology and digital connectivity to address the digital divide.
Papua New Guinea’s project proposal on the Lae Port Industrial Park Special Economic Zone will enhance trade and investment facilitation, further boosting connectivity for PNG and the broader Asia-Pacific.
As the largest port among the Pacific Island states, Lae Port positions PNG strategically to service Commonwealth members across both Asia and the Pacific.
Tkatchenko said Lae Port was a prime investment opportunity that will impact the lives of many in PNG and the Pacific, positively affecting livelihoods, connecting people to markets and global supply chains…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund join forces to scale up proven adaptation projects
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (GCF) — The Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Adaptation Fund (AF) have announced the AF-GCF Scaling-Up Framework Operational Guidance, which sets out how the two Funds will work together to take proven, country-led adaptation projects to scale.
The Framework, launched at COP31, builds on the Funds’ complementary roles and enhances the coherence of the global climate finance architecture.
This initiative will facilitate countries’ scale-up of proven adaptation solutions, under their ownership and in line with their national priorities. Under the Framework, GCF and AF will jointly identify completed or advanced-stage AF projects with strong results and potential for greater impact. These can be developed into larger investments for possible GCF financing. Every project will remain subject to country prioritisation and to each Fund’s established review and approval processes.
The Framework fosters coordinated support to countries to plan for scale, from early on in project design. By drawing on existing evidence and institutional relationships, it will improve the quality and predictability of project development and reduce unnecessary duplication. Joint learning is central to the Framework, to help further global adaptation action.
The Framework builds on the two Funds’ experience of working together to scale up country-led adaptation projects. It brings together AF’s support for proven adaptation solutions and GCF’s capacity to finance larger-scale investments, creating a more coordinated pathway for countries to expand successful approaches in line with their national priorities. Together, the Funds aim to strengthen complementarity and coherence across the climate finance architecture.
“Countries need adaptation finance that matches the scale and urgency of the climate crisis. This joint framework shows how climate funds are responding to that challenge. The Framework lets proven, country-led solutions supported by the Adaptation Fund grow into larger investments, without countries having to start from scratch. It also shows how GCF wants to work across the climate finance system: building on the strengths of other funds and development banks rather than duplicating them, so that every dollar goes further and reaches people faster,” said Mafalda Duarte Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund
“An Adaptation Fund project is often where a country’s resilience journey begins, and where it starts to grow. Our direct access model strengthens the institutions that can access climate finance and sustain it. We back innovative approaches and help prove what works. Adaptation Fund projects that have gone on to receive GCF financing have attracted an average of US$4 for every US$1 invested. In half of these cases, the same partner has scaled up the project. The Framework gives proven projects a clearer path to scale, connecting them to larger investment and helping meet the high demand for adaptation finance,” said Mikko Ollikainen, Head of the Adaptation Fund…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
The world must match Pacific climate leadership
Treating climate risk as a permanent feature of development, not an exceptional challenge
SUVA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (UNDP) — In September 2015, ahead of the global climate negotiations in Paris, leaders from across the Pacific met in Suva, Fiji. Together they issued a bold declaration, calling for global warming to be limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Small island developing states around the world had been advocating to enshrine this average temperature rise limit in official decisions since around 2009. By the end of 2015, the 1.5°C limit was formally incorporated into the landmark Paris Agreement.
Just over a decade later, the global climate community returned to Suva for the Pre-COP31, setting the stage for COP31 in Türkiye. Much has happened during that time, with most countries currently working on implementing their third-generation national climate plans under the Paris Agreement and the impacts of climate change becoming ever more visible in all corners of the world.
Small island nations in the Pacific face some of the most severe impacts, including threats to their very existence. Their delegations to Suva pushed for a renewed sense of urgency on climate action. They also bring hard-won, practical experience, ready to show the world how the region is driving solutions, with proven models of climate action shaped by local priorities, embedded in national systems and designed to last.
Climate finance
Much of the international dialogue surrounding climate finance remains focused on pledges, with billion-dollar figures announced at global summits but no clear timetables for delivery. For Pacific countries, the challenge is not just how much finance is available, but whether that finance is accessible, predictable and suited to their needs.
A recent UNDP analysis found that climate finance reaching the region remains fragmented, short-term and poorly aligned with the scale of the challenge. The International Monetary Fund has estimated that Pacific Island countries will require annual spending averaging 9 percent of GDP to build coastal protection infrastructure that helps them protect their economies. For countries already facing tight fiscal constraints, taking on more debt is not a sustainable solution.
To address these financing challenges, Pacific governments, through the Pacific Islands Forum, have created the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF). Designed and governed by the Pacific, it is structured to pool capital and provide grant-based funding for community-level climate and disaster resilience on terms that reflect the region’s priorities and fiscal realities. Now rolling out pilot community grants while raising capital for its long-term fund, the facility is designed to finance community resilience without adding to national debt burdens.
Ocean stewardship
Across the Pacific, the ocean sustains livelihoods, cultures, food security and national identity. Healthy reefs, mangroves and coastlines support fisheries and tourism, protect communities from waves, storm surges and coastal erosion and sustain livelihoods across the region.
Pacific Island countries have long led efforts to protect and manage these ecosystems. In 2010, Pacific leaders endorsed the Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape, guiding ocean management across approximately 40 million square kilometres.
In 2017, the Cook Islands established Marae Moana, bringing its entire 1.9 million square kilometre exclusive economic zone under an integrated management framework. In 2020, Niue established the 127,000 square kilometre Moana Mahu Marine Protected Area, legally protecting 40 percent of its exclusive economic zone as a strict no-take zone. Two years later, it placed its entire exclusive economic zone under a multiple-use marine park.
Pacific countries recognise that ocean health underpins their economies and development, and they are building the systems needed to sustain it. In Tonga, the Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN)—a global initiative spanning over 133 countries, including 13 Pacific Island countries—is helping the government identify and mobilise finance for biodiversity.
Ridge-to-Reef Community Grants Initiative, which connects the management of land, water, forests and coastal ecosystems, and is helping embed the value of coastal and marine ecosystems into public finance, development planning and long-term economic decision-making. Similarly, through BIOFIN, Papua New Guinea is developing a national Biodiversity Finance Plan to mobilise resources for conservation. The Investing in Coral Reefs and Blue Economy programme—supported by the Global Fund for Coral Reefs and the Joint SDG Fund—is also channelling investment into businesses that protect coral reefs and coastal ecosystems while supporting local livelihoods.
By strengthening the national systems used to govern and finance these assets, Pacific countries are moving beyond short-term conservation projects and are laying the foundations for long-term stewardship, guided by national priorities and community knowledge.
Adaptation for development
Across the Pacific, governments are increasingly treating climate risk as a permanent feature of development, not an exceptional challenge. Adaptation and resilience are being built into how energy, infrastructure and public services are being designed and financed.
On Vio Island in Fiji, two programmes that might once have operated separately are being delivered as one integrated initiative. Through the Governance for Resilient Development in the Pacific (Gov4Res) project, an existing community hall was upgraded to Category 5 cyclone standards so it can serve as an evacuation centre. In parallel, the Fiji Rural Electrification Fund is expanding the island’s existing solar mini-grid, using panels mounted on the centre’s roof.
Together, these initiatives have connected clean energy with disaster preparedness: the centre remains useful throughout the year while providing a safe, reliably powered space during cyclones. The model is already being replicated across some of Fiji’s most remote island communities.
Vanuatu is applying the same principle to its energy transition. With support from Japan, three pico-hydro stations on Pentecost Island now provide reliable renewable electricity through 706 connections serving households, schools, health facilities, community halls and small businesses. Another initiative, funded by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure’s multi-donor Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund is developing climate-resilient design standards and piloting nature-based measures–including protecting water catchments and planting windbreaks and vegetation to control erosion–to safeguard selected pico-hydro and solar systems.
A further project under preparation with support from the Special Climate Change Fund managed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) would take this further by climate-proofing electricity infrastructure, improving battery storage and grid management, and embedding climate risk in provincial energy plans.
These examples show that in the Pacific, adaptation, mitigation and development are not separate lines of action. Resilience increasingly sits at the centre of both climate action and development planning.
Youth leadership
Pacific climate leadership is being shaped by those who will live with the impacts of decisions made today for most of their lives. Throughout 2026, a series of youth dialogues, or talanoa, have brought young Pacific Islanders together to develop a shared vision for a just and climate-resilient future. Their priorities will inform a youth communiqué, that will travel from the Pre-COP in Fiji to the COP31 negotiating rooms in Türkiye.
The process reflects a principle evident across the region’s climate action: people should have a meaningful role in decisions that affect them. For young people, that means moving beyond symbolic representation to sustained influence over the policies that will define their futures.
Pacific youth have already shown how far their ideas can travel. In 2019, 27 law students at the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu set out to take the climate crisis to the world’s highest court. Their campaign grew into a global movement, was championed by the Government of Vanuatu and ultimately secured the support of the UN General Assembly. In July 2025, the International Court of Justice delivered a landmark advisory opinion clarifying countries’ legal obligations to tackle climate change.
What began in a Pacific classroom changed the global legal conversation. It showed that young people are already influencing the laws, policies and negotiations that will shape their futures.
Photo: Group of people aboard a red-sailed wooden sailing ship at sea.
Asia Pacific’s young people should have a meaningful role in decisions that affect them. Moving beyond symbolic representation to sustained influence over the policies that will define their futures.
The world must match Pacific leadership
For years, the story told about Pacific small island developing states and climate change has followed a familiar line: countries on the frontline, among the most exposed and least responsible, calling on the world to act before it is too late. That story remains true, but incomplete.
More than a decade after Pacific leaders gathered in Suva to champion the 1.5°C limit, the region is not waiting for the world to act on its behalf. Across the region, governments and communities are developing Pacific-led financing mechanisms, protecting the ocean as a foundation for development, embedding resilience in public investment and strengthening youth leadership. Together, they are building the systems and leadership needed to sustain climate action beyond any single project or summit.
At COP31, the question is whether the world will match Pacific leadership with the finance, ambition and solidarity needed to take these approaches to scale…. PACNEWS
