In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — Tuvalu PM Teo urges Pacific leaders to unite behind Taku Pakasoa climate declaration
2. PACIFIC — COP31 cannot be another climate ‘talk fest’: Solomon Islands PM Wale
3. PACIFIC — Climate finance must match Pacific urgency: Cook Island PM Brown
4. PACIFIC — Climate pledges must deliver for Pacific communities: Naoero President Adeang
5. PACIFIC — “You now carry responsibility for our future”: Samoa Youth climate advocate Fruean
6. PACIFIC — Pacific Resilience Facility puts communities in the driving seat: Fiji Foreign Minister Ditoka
7. PACIFIC — Nepal calls for mountain-Pacific alliance on climate action
8. PACIFIC — Tuvalu govt adviser says Australia overstepped in pre-COP visit
9. FIJI — Former Fiji AG Sayed-Khaiyum accuses PM Rabuka of usurping powers over referendum process
10. FIJI — SODELPA questions legal basis for 09 December referendum date
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Automotive recycling turns old cars into new opportunities
12. PACNEWS BIZ — Pacific leaders call for conservation finance to put indigenous leadership at the centre
13. PACNEWS BIZ — PNG Govt plans to establish K20million fund for aviation innovation
14. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Who restores the peace of our ancestors’ resting place? What is the price of our troubled hearts? A story of Non Economic Loss and Damage
15. PACNEWS DIGEST — Fiji Communities Strengthen Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Knowledge through Peer-to-Peer Learning
PAC – PRECOP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Tuvalu PM Teo urges Pacific leaders to unite behind Taku Pakasoa climate declaration
By Pita Ligaiula
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo has urged Pacific leaders to unite behind the Taku Pakasoa Declaration, saying the region must speak with one voice on climate change and push for stronger action ahead of COP31 in Türkiye.
Teo made the call as Pacific Pre-COP31 Leaders Plenary concluded in Denarau following a day and a half of meetings in Tuvalu, where leaders witnessed first-hand the country’s vulnerability to sea-level rise and its efforts to adapt.
The leaders are expected to endorse the Taku Pakasoa Declaration as a statement of renewed commitment to addressing climate change.
Teo said Taku Pakasoa, a traditional Tuvaluan value, represented “strength in unity”.
“As a traditional artefact, I am wearing Taku Pakasoa this evening, a necklace that is made out of mother-of-pearl shells, and it denotes strength in unity as a necklace,” he said.
He said the declaration was a commitment to continue climate action and call on the international community to stand behind communities on the front line of the climate crisis.
“The Declaration represents unwavering commitment to continue to act on climate change and to call on the world to unite behind those on the front line of the climate crisis,” Teo said.
He said the declaration recognised that every fraction of additional warming increased the risks faced by climate-vulnerable countries, particularly Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.
The declaration also calls on parties to the Paris Agreement to accelerate collective action to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature goal within reach.
Teo highlighted the Pacific’s leadership in securing the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate change obligations, acknowledging Pacific youth who campaigned for the opinion and Vanuatu’s role in taking the issue through the United Nations.
The declaration also reaffirms the importance of maintaining statehood and sovereignty and the permanence of maritime zones established under international law despite the physical impacts of sea-level rise.
Teo said these principles were consistent with the recently adopted UN Political Declaration on Sea Level Rise.
The declaration also calls for climate finance for SIDS and LDCs to deliver equitable and tangible outcomes and recognises the growing threats from ocean warming, acidification, sea-level rise and marine biodiversity loss.
Teo said the ocean must be protected as the planet’s primary climate regulator.
He acknowledged that while many leaders supported the declaration, some still had reservations.
“I hope the majority, if not all of the leaders that had the opportunity to visit Tuvalu yesterday and today will be able to subscribe,” he said.
Teo proposed that the plenary record that the declaration was supported by the majority of leaders who visited Tuvalu and urged those with reservations to join the consensus.
“The Declaration is a clear statement that aims to bring our voices together in unity, resilience and power as a call to action to address our shared challenges, protect our cultures and build our shared future.
“Let us express this voice of unity and support the resolution to adopt the Taku Pakasoa Declaration,” he said.
The Pacific Pre-COP31 process is being held ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, with Fiji and Tuvalu hosting key regional events and Australia supporting the process….PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Wed 07 Oct 2026
COP31 cannot be another climate ‘talk fest’: Solomon Islands PM Wale
By Pita Ligaiula
NADI, 07 October 2026 (PACNEWS)— Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has warned that COP31 must deliver concrete action on emissions and climate finance, saying 31 years of climate negotiations have failed to protect Pacific communities facing rising seas and extreme weather.
Speaking at the Pacific Pre-COP31 Leaders Plenary in Denarau, Wale said his visit to Tuvalu had brought home the personal impact of sea-level rise on his own people in Solomon Islands.
“Tuvalu was not just a sight visit for me on its shorelines. I saw the story of my own saltwater people of the Solomon Islands
“My own people have lost my house to sea level rise. My grandfather has lost his house to sea level rise. My daughter has lost her house to sea level rise.
“It’s very personal,” Wale said.
Wale said about three-quarters of his electorate could be under water within 30 years if current trends continued.
He said the Pacific had been warning the world about climate change for decades, but action had not matched the scale of the crisis.
“We have been negotiating for 31 years.
“COP31 will be the 10th COP since Paris. Yet the latest science confirms we are on track to overshoot 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“Our actions have lacked the decisiveness and ambition the moment and crisis demand. We have a deficit of climate action,” he said.
Wale said major emitters must make deep, economy-wide emissions cuts immediately and warned that COP31 in Türkiye could not become another round of negotiations without delivery.
“31 years of talks and 10 years of Paris have not delivered its core goal and COP31 cannot be another talk fest.
“It is absurd, totally absurd, that the road to modernisation and industrialisation is that you have a licence to ruin the atmosphere and kill people,” he said.
He called on G7 countries to increase their ambition in line with their historical responsibility under the UN climate convention, while urging BRICS countries and major emerging economies to lead on emissions reductions.
Wale also criticised continued fossil fuel subsidies, citing International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that they total US$7.43 trillion.
“It’s criminal, it’s immoral,” he said.
On climate finance, Wale said the current global architecture was failing to direct adequate funding to countries most vulnerable to climate change.
“The shortfall in what reaches us is not because the world lacks money. It is because it lacks the political will,” he said.
He said global military spending had reached almost US$3 trillion last year, while official development assistance had fallen sharply.
Wale called for the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index(MVI) to be used by development partners, multilateral development banks and climate funds when determining access to development and climate finance.
“Finance must follow vulnerability,” he said.
He said climate finance should be grant-based, demand-driven and flexible, while countries unable to avoid borrowing should receive the most concessional terms based on their vulnerability.
Wale also called for greater transparency around climate finance pledges, including published disbursement timelines and independent tracking of commitments against actual delivery.
“We must move away from delayed pledges that draw applause in meeting rooms and make headlines.
“We need clear mechanisms that hold partners to their commitments,” he said.
Wale welcomed the Taku Pakasoa Declaration but said Pacific leaders needed to strengthen key sections of the text before COP31.
“We welcome an ambitious declaration, but after 1.5 degrees threshold phases and immediate overshoot, ambition must mean action.
“To move from pledges to real-world survival, we must urgently sharpen paragraphs 6, 8 and 11 of the declaration. As it is, I find it hard to sign on to,” he said.
He called for stronger nationally determined contributions, a faster transition to clean energy and greater accountability in climate finance.
“Words of sympathy will not save our islands,” Wale said.
He said the road to COP31 in Antalya must deliver structural accountability, direct climate finance and a stronger link between ocean and climate action…..PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Climate finance must match Pacific urgency: Cook Island PM Brown
By Pita Ligaiula
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has challenged developed countries to match the Pacific’s urgency on climate change, calling for faster climate finance and deeper emissions cuts to protect communities already facing rising seas and climate impacts.
Speaking at the Pacific Pre-COP31 Leaders’ Plenary in Denarau, Brown said Pacific countries were not waiting for international assistance but were already developing their own solutions and investing in climate resilience.
“Climate change has been given its power and ferocity by high emissions, forcing an entire region to change with urgency.
“Today we ask the same urgency of our partners, because urgency is a two-way street,” Brown said.
Brown spoke after Pacific leaders spent a day and a half in Tuvalu, where they discussed climate impacts and regional priorities ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
He said his first visit to Tuvalu had reinforced the similarities between the challenges faced by Tuvalu and vulnerable communities in the Cook Islands, particularly in the remote northern group.
“The conditions that the people of Tuvalu are forced to live with are deeply familiar to my own people, particularly those in the northern group of our most remote areas.
“Communities, homes, our very future, threatened every day,” Brown said.
Brown said Pacific leaders understood the consequences of climate change because their communities were already living with them.
“Imagine living with the knowledge that unless the world cuts emissions, the land upon which you stand, upon which your ancestors rest, could be lost,” he said.
He said Pacific governments were being forced to make difficult choices while waiting for resources needed to protect their people.
“These are choices that no leader wants to make, yet they are choices that our governments face,” Brown said.
But he said the Pacific was not waiting for others to act.
“We are identifying our risks, we’re developing our solutions like the PRF, and we’re making the hard choices about our future and our ocean,” he said.
Brown highlighted the Cook Islands’ recent investment in climate and geospatial information, including the launch of LiDAR mapping and its GeoPortal, to strengthen planning and understanding of climate risks.
He said the tools would provide stronger evidence for decision-making across the country.
Brown also criticised the barriers Pacific countries face in accessing climate finance, saying the region was often assessed primarily through its vulnerability.
“Too often, the Pacific is viewed through the lens of risk, and that assessment comes with more conditions, more criteria, more hurdles, before climate finance can reach our communities,” he said.
He said some of those decisions were being made by institutions and decision-makers who had never visited the Pacific.
“We recognise the need for accountability. We ask that the way it is applied recognises the Pacific, the Pacific way,” Brown said.
The Cook Islands Prime Minister questioned whether the same scrutiny imposed on Pacific countries seeking climate finance was being applied to those responsible for providing it.
“If the world is prepared to assess our suitability for climate finance, why is it not equally prepared to scrutinise whether those responsible for delivering it are meeting their obligations?” he asked.
Brown also questioned why governments had been able to mobilise hundreds of billions of dollars within months to respond to the global fuel crisis but had not shown the same urgency on climate finance.
“Why cannot the same urgency be applied and commitment be applied to climate finance?” he said.
He highligted the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project as evidence of the Pacific’s capacity to design and deliver effective climate projects.
“The Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project, TCAP, is living proof that the Pacific is more than capable in knowledge, expertise, and leadership, and in accountability,” Brown said.
He challenged international partners to accelerate support for similar projects while also delivering the emissions reductions needed to keep the 1.5°C temperature goal within reach.
“We need both. Adaptation has limits,” he said.
Brown said the Pacific could not address climate change alone because it did not control global funding decisions and was not responsible for the majority of global emissions.
He said this should be reflected in the Taku Pakasoa Declaration, which Pacific leaders are expected to sign ahead of COP31.
“Unity must mean more than standing together for a declaration that is completely voluntary. It must mean following through together,” Brown said.
“Back Pacific leadership with the finance so that we can get on with our solutions.”
Brown also called for deeper emissions cuts from major emitters.
“Deliver the emissions reductions needed now, so that my descendants can stand on the shores of Funafuti, as I have today.
“Show up. Be the example future generations require of us,” he said.
The Pacific Pre-COP31 Leaders’ Plenary is expected to consolidate the region’s priorities ahead of COP31 and provide direction to Pacific ministers and negotiators heading into the climate negotiations in Türkiye…..PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Climate pledges must deliver for Pacific communities: Naoero President Adeang
By Pita Ligaiula
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—Naoero President David Adeang has challenged world leaders to move beyond climate pledges and deliver finance, emissions cuts and practical action for Pacific communities already facing the impacts of climate change.
Speaking at the Pacific Pre-COP31 Leaders’ Plenary in Denarau, after leaders spent a day and a half in Tuvalu, Adeang said the experience should force governments to assess whether global climate commitments were reaching the people most exposed to climate change.
“What was seen in Tuvalu today should trouble every leader in the room.
“Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Naoero, and our Pacific neighbours are not facing a distant or theoretical threat. We are already living with the real consequences of climate change today,” Adeang said.
Adeang said rising seas, drought and disasters were putting Pacific communities under growing pressure, while climate negotiations had produced decades of commitments without enough delivery.
“The seas are rising against our homes, drought is draining our water, and a single disaster can undo years of progress,
“And still, our communities wait. For three decades, the COPs have produced pledges and promises, yet words and delivery have fallen short of what our communities need,” he said.
He questioned whether the resources being spent on hosting international climate meetings could be better directed towards climate action and frontline communities.
“Perhaps it is time to ask also whether we should continue investing such substantial resources in hosting pre-COPs and COPs, when those resources could instead be directed towards climate action and the communities on the front lines.
“If our objective is delivery, then the resources must follow,” Adeang said.
Adeang said Pacific resilience should not become an excuse for the international community to expect island states to continue absorbing climate impacts.
“The Pacific has shown resilience for generations, but that resilience must never become the reason that the world expects us to endure,” he said.
Naoero supports the Taku Pakasoa Declaration, which Pacific leaders are expected to sign ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, but Adeang said signing another declaration must be matched by measurable action.
“Naoero supports the Taku Pakasoa Declaration and its call for urgent action, but we have signed many declarations and our people too often see little change.
“Signing carries a responsibility to act,” he said.
Adeang called on Pacific institutions and regional agencies to set clear commitments, timelines and reporting mechanisms to track progress.
“I challenge this platform and our very own regional agencies to lead with clear commitments, timelines and reporting on progress so that we hold ourselves and our partners to account,” he said.
For COP31, Adeang said delivery must include immediate emissions reductions, full implementation of the Paris Agreement and action to keep the 1.5°C temperature goal within reach.
“The Pacific is already beyond mitigation.
“Adaptation must advance alongside a rapid, large-scale transition to renewable energy,” he said.
Adeang said the Pacific also needed climate finance that was accessible and suited to the circumstances of small island developing states.
He highlighted complicated procedures, reporting requirements and delays in approvals and disbursements as barriers to finance reaching communities.
“Announcing finance is not the same as delivering it.
“We need requirements that are realistic, proportionate and aligned with the institutional capacity and circumstances of each country, particularly SIDS,” he said.
Adeang said the terms of climate finance were also important, arguing that vulnerable island countries should not be pushed further into debt as they respond to a crisis they did not create.
“For vulnerable island countries, climate finance must not compound the burdens of a crisis we did not create,” he said.
He also called for vulnerability assessments to go beyond income levels, saying economic indicators alone did not reflect the risks faced by countries such as Nauru.
“Income alone cannot capture the realities facing Naoero,” Adeang said.
“The Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) should inform who is eligible for climate finance, on what terms and at what scale. If our progress is recognised, our vulnerability must be recognised too.”
Adeang highlighted the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) as an example of the region developing its own climate finance response through grants that support community resilience without increasing national debt.
“Naeoro is not speaking of Pacific leadership, we are demonstrating it through action,” he said.
“Though we are small, we have contributed from our own resources to this facility. Because leadership should be measured not by what is said, but by what we are prepared to do.”
He called on international partners to fully capitalise the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) rather than stop at financial pledges.
“For many of our people, the ocean is central to our future,” Adeang said.
He urged COP31 to advance ocean-based climate action and support communities that depend on healthy marine ecosystems.
Adeang also called for progress on international rules governing ocean resources, saying countries pursuing responsible use of those resources should not be disadvantaged by delays in reaching agreement.
As Pacific leaders prepare to take the Taku Pakasoa Declaration to COP31, Adeang said the region’s communities should remain at the centre of the negotiations.
“We must be able to tell our children that COP31 was different, that leaders heard us and answered with action they can see and they can feel,” he said.
The Pacific Pre-COP31 Leaders’ event in Tuvalu and Fiji is designed to consolidate Pacific priorities ahead of COP31 in Antalya, with climate finance, keeping 1.5°C within reach, ocean-climate action and renewable energy among the key issues. …PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Wed 07 Oct 2026
“You now carry responsibility for our future”: Samoan youth climate advocate Fruean
By Pita Ligaiula
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—Samoan youth climate advocate Brianna Fruean has challenged Pacific leaders to turn the hospitality and welcome they received in Tuvalu and Fiji into action on climate finance, emissions cuts and the protection of the 1.5°C target.
Addressing the Pacific Pre-COP31 Leaders’ Plenary in Denarau, Fruean told leaders they had arrived as guests but should leave understanding their responsibility to Pacific communities and future generations.
“In the Pacific, we pride ourselves in our hospitality. You come as guests and leave as family.
“You now hold responsibility to these lands. The responsibility to ensure accessible climate financing, to nourish the adaptation, mitigation, and resilience measures of communities on these front lines,” Fruean said.
Fruean said Pacific hospitality was not simply ceremony or performance but carried obligations for those who received it.
“What might look like performance to you is actually practice. It is ceremony,” she said.
She said the food, culture and traditions experienced by leaders during their visit were connected to the land and ocean and should reinforce their responsibility to protect them.
“By receiving its nourishment, the land now lives in us. In turn, you now hold responsibility to these lands,” she said.
Fruean also called for Pacific marine ecosystems to be placed at the centre of global climate strategies, highlighting the region’s deep connection to the ocean.
“So much of our song and dance is in reverence of our great blue Pacific Ocean.
“By swaying along to its song, you now hold responsibility to it. The responsibility of placing our ocean and marine ecosystems at the centre of global climate strategies and solutions,” she said.
She urged leaders not to forget the children they had seen during their time in the Pacific, including those who welcomed them in Tuvalu.
“In the islands, all the children are our children. They belong to us.
“I hope you never forget their faces. I hope you see their faces when you go home. See them in your children,” Fruean said.
Fruean said children and young people were among those most exposed to the consequences of climate change.
“1.1 billion children face at least three overlapping climate hazards, threatening health, education, and survival.
“As they learn to count, we are counting the degrees that determine their future,” she said.
She said the Pacific’s call to keep the global temperature goal within reach remained clear.
“1.5 to stay alive remains our mantra.
“You now bear the responsibility of protecting 1.5, and this requires immediate emissions reductions,” Fruean said.
With Pacific leaders preparing to endorse the Taku Pakasoa Declaration ahead of COP31 in Türkiye, Fruean said their meeting should lead to practical action rather than remain another conference.
“Your time here isn’t just a conference. It is a ceremony, a welcoming of responsibility to take care of your Pacific family,” she said.
She called on leaders to turn climate solutions into action and ensure Pacific priorities shape the outcome of COP31.
“Those who have fed you, sung for you, and are now counting on you to chart a better future, turning solutions into practice, elevating our collective why, and preempting the outcomes of what we need from COP31,” Fruean said.
She said Pacific unity did not mean avoiding disagreement but working through differences and holding each other accountable.
“In a Pacific family, we will ask questions. We will disagree, discuss, hold each other accountable, but always to find a way forward,” she said.
“You arrived here as guests, welcomed as friends and comrades, but now let us continue as family, carrying this responsibility together and turning it into long-overdue action,” she said.
The Pacific Pre-COP31 Leaders’ Plenary is expected to conclude with leaders endorsing and signing the Taku Pakasoa Declaration, setting out Pacific priorities ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye…..PACNEWS
PACIFIC – PRE COP31/PRF: PACNEWS/FIJI GOVT PACNEWS 2: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Pacific Resilience Facility puts communities in the driving seat: Fiji Foreign Minister Ditoka
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 2026 (PACNEWS/FIJI GOVT) —Fiji has reaffirmed its support for the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), with Foreign Affairs and External Trade Minister Sakiasi Ditoka saying the Pacific-owned mechanism must put communities at the centre of climate resilience efforts.
Speaking at the PRF Community Talanoa Side Event in Nadi, Ditoka said the Facility was a major step towards strengthening Pacific ownership, agency and collective leadership in responding to climate and disaster risks.
“The Pacific Resilience Facility puts communities in the driving seat, because they know their own challenges and their own solutions,” he said.
Ditoka acknowledged Pacific Islands Forum Leaders and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat for advancing the PRF, as well as governments, development partners, civil society organisations, NGOs and Pacific communities involved in its development.
He said the Facility had been established as Pacific communities faced increasingly severe climate impacts, including droughts and extreme weather events affecting food security, livelihoods and resilience.
“The Pacific experience highlights the urgent need to remain within the 1.5°C pathway,” Ditoka said, noting that climate impacts were already being experienced directly by communities across the region.
He said Pacific ownership did not mean working alone, but building partnerships around priorities identified and led by Pacific countries and communities.
Ditoka also stressed that the PRF needed to be sufficiently flexible to respond quickly to urgent needs on the ground.
“We intend to grow it into a reliable and predictable source of funding.
“And we have stressed that agility is essential: we must be able to deploy water-storage tanks at scale, well before the rains stop,” he said.
Ditoka said the ability to move resources quickly would be critical as Pacific communities faced increasingly unpredictable weather and climate conditions.
Ditoka said Fiji would continue to support the PRF as a practical expression of Pacific agency and collective action.
“Fiji fully supports this Pacific-owned, Pacific-led response,” he said.
“Through the PRF, we will rebuild and strengthen resilience. Let’s maintain the momentum and commitment.”
The PRF was established by Pacific Island Forum countries as a Pacific-led financing mechanism aimed at supporting locally identified climate and disaster resilience priorities without adding to countries’ debt burdens….PACNEWS
PAC – PREPCOP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Nepal calls for mountain-Pacific alliance on climate action
By Sanjeshni Kumar
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—Nepal has called for a stronger alliance between Himalayan and Pacific nations to confront the shared impacts of climate change, with Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal urging countries to take a united message to COP31.
Speaking at the Leaders Plenary in Nadi, Khanal proposed a formal “Sagarmatha to the Sea” partnership to link mountain and ocean communities through cooperation, knowledge exchange and a stronger collective voice on climate action.
He said the geographical distance between Nepal and Pacific island countries masked a common vulnerability.
“Geographically, we stand on the opposite end of the earth, yet ecologically, we share the exact same front line,” Khanal said.
“From Sagarmatha, the highest peak to the sea, one warming planet is transforming our lives, our landscape, and our future.”
Khanal said the impacts of climate change could not be considered separately between mountains and oceans, arguing that changes in the Himalayas have consequences for communities in the Pacific.
“The mountains and the oceans belong to a single individual planetary continuum.
“What begins in our high mountains inevitably cascades into your rising sea,” he said.
He said Nepal was facing the consequences of climate change through disasters in its mountain regions, while Pacific countries were dealing with rising tides and increasingly severe cyclones.
Khanal referred to what he described as a recent “Himalayan tsunami” in Nepal, which he said was caused by an abrupt high-altitude glacial and rock collapse that sent a large, sediment-filled flood through the Bhotekoshi River Valley.
“In minutes, roaring floodwaters swept away over 1,400 lives. About 6,000 are still missing,” he said.
Khanal said the disaster also destroyed vital highways, clean hydroelectricity power plants and entire communities.
He drew a direct connection between such events and the climate vulnerabilities faced by Pacific nations.
“Our vulnerabilities are not identical, but our stakes are shared, because the melting mountain ice adds to the rising sea,” he said.
“Mountains and oceans are not opposite. They’re one water, one story, one shared future.”
Khanal said countries such as Nepal were contributing relatively little to global emissions while bearing significant consequences from climate change.
“In Nepal, 46 percent of land is covered by forest. 70 percent of new consumer vehicles are EVs. All of our electricity comes from hydro,” he said.
“Yet our people pay with their lives and development gains for a crisis they had no hand in creating. This is the very definition of climate injustice.”
Ahead of COP31, Khanal called for continued commitment to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“As we prepare for COP31, Nepal calls for uncompromising fidelity to the 1.5 degree threshold. This is not a theoretical anymore.”
He called for predictable, grant-based adaptation finance that would provide direct funding without imposing further debt on vulnerable countries.
“We ask for predictable grant-based adaptation finance that delivers direct liquidity without imposing further debt,” Khanal said.
He also called for a fully capitalised operational loss and damage fund, with fewer bureaucratic barriers to ensure support reaches vulnerable communities.
Khanal’s proposed “Sagarmatha to the Sea” partnership would bring mountain and ocean communities together around cooperation, knowledge exchange and collective advocacy.
He also pointed to traditions of collective action in both regions.
“In Fiji, you live by Solesolevaki. In Nepal, our ancient tradition teaches Shramadana, the selfless offering of collective effort,” he said.
Khanal urged the Pacific to also highlight the climate changes taking place in the Himalayas.
“Nepal will always highlight rising sea. I hope Pacific will also talk about ice that melts in the Himalayas.”
He said shared vulnerability should become the basis for stronger collective action between the two regions.
“Let us turn our shared vulnerability into shared action, our shared challenges into shared solutions, and our solidarity into a stronger voice for climate justice.”
Khanal called for countries to approach COP31 with a common position and a shared message.
“Let’s, let us go to Antalya with one voice, sending the world the same message.”
“The climate crisis is already here. Our response must be equally urgent. Equally united and equally ambitious,” he said…..PACNEWS
PAC – PREPCOP31: AFP PACNEWS 2: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Tuvalu govt adviser says Australia overstepped in pre-COP visit
FUNAFUTI, 07 OCTOBER 2027 (AFP)— A Tuvalu government adviser told AFP on Tuesday it felt like Australia had “taken over” the tiny country’s sovereignty during a visit by leaders to the Pacific island.
The official — a senior government adviser who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorised to speak to the media — said they were disappointed in Australia’s handling of the visit.
The comments came during a visit by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other leaders to Tuvalu, which has become a symbol of the existential threat posed by rising seas and is a key partner in Canberra’s Pacific strategy.
“Just because we signed the treaty doesn’t mean they can take over our country and our sovereignty,” the aide told AFP.
‘That’s how it feels like.”
Australia and Tuvalu signed the groundbreaking Falepili Union in 2023, part of Canberra’s efforts to blunt China’s expanding reach in the region. Under that pact, Australia opened a new visa category specially set aside for adult citizens of Tuvalu.
The official also accused Albanese of disrespect in not wearing a traditional “fau” floral headpiece during a welcome ceremony.
“Why didn’t he wear the Fau? That is so disrespectful to our culture,” they said.
“Every other person wore the Fau.”
Albanese’s office declined to comment on the record when reached by AFP.
The trip took place on the sidelines of the Pacific ‘pre-COP” gathering hosted by Fiji aimed at drawing the world’s attention to life on the frontline of global warming.
The South Pacific is among the regions of the world most vulnerable to global warming — from rising seas jeopardising homes to increasing temperatures causing coral bleaching.
Tuvalu is deeply affected, already laying plans to relocate its population of 10,600 if the country is consumed by the ocean….PACNEWS
FIJI – REFERENDUM/POLITICS: FIJI TIMES PACNEWS 2: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Former Fiji AG Sayed-Khaiyum accuses PM Rabuka of usurping powers over referendum process
SUVA, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI TIMES)—Former Fiji Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has accused Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka of overstepping his authority by announcing December 9 as the date for Fiji’s national referendum before the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 completes the parliamentary process.
In a social media statement, Sayed-Khaiyum claimed the announcement had effectively “usurped” the powers of Speaker Filimone Jitoko and President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu.
He also criticised the Prime Minister’s request for General Election campaigning to be suspended during the referendum process.
“In conveying to the Electoral Commission… that it should currently focus only on the preparation for the referendum, as opposed to the national elections, the Prime Minister is seeking to effectively interfere with the decisions, work plan and powers of the independent Electoral Commission,” Sayed-Khaiyum claimed.
However, the Electoral Commission has since stated that preparations for the General Election will continue alongside referendum preparations and that it will independently consider the Prime Minister’s request concerning campaign suspension.
Sayed-Khaiyum said the Constitution Amendment Bill must complete the required parliamentary stages before being referred for a referendum.
He said following the second reading, there must be a 30-day period before the third reading, during which the parliamentary committee conducts its assessment and public consultations.
The Bill passed its second reading last week and was referred to a Special Parliamentary Committee for scrutiny and public consultation.
Sayed-Khaiyum said that if the required parliamentary majority supports the Bill at the third reading, the Speaker would then notify the President, who would refer the Bill to the Electoral Commission for a referendum.
The Government, meanwhile, has announced December 9 as referendum day and said the President is expected to issue the referendum writ on 09 November. It has also stated that the referendum will be administered under the direction of the Electoral Commission and that Government will respect the independence of the electoral institutions.
Sayed-Khaiyum said voters must be assured that constitutional processes are followed and that they have access to adequate voter education before casting their ballots….PACNEWS
FIJI – REFERENDUM/POLITICS: FIJI TIMES PACNEWS 2: Wed 07 Oct 2026
SODELPA questions legal basis for 09 December referendum date
SUVA, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI TIMES)—Fiji government coalition partner SODELPA has questioned the legal basis for Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s announcement of 09 December as the date for Fiji’s national referendum, calling on Attorney-General Siromi Turaga to publicly clarify the Government’s authority to announce the date before the remaining parliamentary process is completed.
The party said its leader had raised concerns that announcing a fixed date could pre-empt processes involving Parliament, the President and the Electoral Commission.
“The rule of law and constitutional order in Fiji cannot be subordinated to executive convenience or political scheduling,” SODELPA leader Aseri Radrodro said.
“A national referendum is a grave constitutional mechanism governed strictly by law, not an executive prerogative to be announced at a press conference before statutory and parliamentary prerequisites are complete.”
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 has passed its second reading and is before a Special Committee for public consultations. Government has said the proposed December 9 referendum remains subject to the President issuing the referendum writ.
SODELPA has submitted 10 questions to the Attorney-General, including what specific constitutional or statutory provision allows the Prime Minister to fix a referendum date and whether 09 December is legally binding or an executive timetable.
It also wants clarification on whether the President remains free to appoint another polling date and what would prevail if the date contained in a presidential writ differed from that publicly announced by the Prime Minister.
The party has also questioned the proposed suspension of General Election campaigning, the financial cost of conducting a referendum and General Election within a short period, voter education and the use of State resources during the referendum campaign.
The Electoral Commission has confirmed it has yet to decide whether General Election campaigning will be suspended and will consider the Prime Minister’s request under the National Referendum Act.
SODELPA also called for any written legal advice relied upon by Cabinet in announcing the referendum timetable to be tabled in Parliament.
“No one is above the law,” the party said, adding that parliamentarians must make decisions that prioritise the people they represent….PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
JAPAN – RECYCLING: PACNEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Automotive recycling turns old cars into new opportunities
Reporting by PACNEWS Editor, Makereta Komai in Kitakyushu
KITAKYUSHU, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— An automotive recycling company in Kitakyushu is turning old and unwanted vehicles into valuable resources while helping reduce industrial waste.
Western Japan Auto Recycling Company Limited (WARC) is helping to lead the way in environmentally friendly vehicle recycling in Japan.
The company operates a 60-metre dismantling line where it can recycle up to 30 end-of-life vehicles a day, with each vehicle taking about 45 minutes to go through the full recycling process.
The remaining metal frame is flattened and compressed into a rectangular block.
The company says its specialised process achieves a recycling rate of more than 95 percent.
Before a vehicle is dismantled, workers first remove harmful fluids such as oil and petrol.
Batteries and tyres are also removed for separate recycling or resale, before workers strip the vehicle of valuable reusable parts.
These include doors, bonnets, engines, gearboxes and other parts that can still be used.
WARC maintains a registry of between 120,000 and 180,000 reusable vehicle parts, which are sold in Japan and exported through international automotive networks.
The company said all parts go through strict quality checks before they are sold or reused.
The remaining metal is processed using a metal shredder and compressed into square blocks.
These are then transported to the Nippon Steel Corporation’s factory in Kitakyushu, where the scrap metal is melted down and used to produce new steel.
Five journalists from the Pacific and Caribbean, taking part in the Association for Promotion of International Cooperation (APIC) Japan Journalism Fellowship, visited the WARC facility in Kitakyushu Eco-Town to see the recycling process first-hand.
For the Pacific journalists, the visit highlighted an issue facing many of their nations — what to do with a growing number of old and abandoned vehicles.
Journalists Leilani McQuinn of Yokwe TV in the Marshall Islands and Elilai Rengiil of Tia Belau in Palau said industrial waste is becoming an increasing problem in their countries.
Old vehicles can often be seen abandoned along roadsides, in yards and other areas, creating an environmental and visual problem for communities.
Pacific island countries face particular challenges in dealing with what is often described as “hard waste”, including old cars and other heavy metal waste.
Many islands rely heavily on imported second-hand vehicles. Over time, these vehicles reach the end of their useful life and can be left to rust in backyards.
The tropical climate can also speed up corrosion, while the small size of many islands limits the land available for waste disposal.
Another major challenge is the lack of local recycling facilities and domestic markets for scrap metal.
Transporting heavy vehicle waste off the islands can also be expensive.
Some Pacific countries are now looking at ways to compact old vehicles to reduce the cost and space needed to transport them.
In Tonga, for example, mobile compactors are being used to crush scrap vehicles into smaller cubes, making it easier to load them onto ships for recycling elsewhere.
The experience of Kitakyushu shows how old vehicles and industrial waste can be turned from an environmental problem into a resource for a circular economy.
For Pacific Island countries facing growing vehicle waste, the challenge is finding practical and affordable ways to do the same…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – CONSERVATION FINANCE: CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Pacific Leaders call for Conservation Finance to put Indigenous Leadership at the Centre
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL) —- Pacific leaders called for climate, biodiversity and ocean finance to better recognise Indigenous leadership, customary governance and community priorities during discussions at Pre-COP31.
The call came at the event, Indigenous Leadership in Blue Pacific Finance, a regional Talanoa convened by Conservation International in partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
During the event, participants explored how finance can deliver lasting outcomes for people and nature when Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities play a central role in shaping, governing and accessing investment.
The Talanoa featured keynote addresses from Acting British High Commissioner to Fiji Steph Lysaght and First Nations Ambassador Justin Mohamed of the Australian Government, who highlighted the importance of Indigenous leadership and locally led approaches in addressing climate, biodiversity and ocean challenges across the Pacific.
Steph Lysaght emphasised that the UK will keep investing in approaches that are built around community voices.
“Pacific Island countries are the custodians of marine ecosystems the world depends on, and their perspectives on ocean governance must be mainstreamed into global decision-making. The UK’s role is to back that stewardship, including by helping secure the finance needed to sustain this. Through our flagship Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme, we’ve seen how practical, flexible financing, like the Sustainable Blue Loan framework developed by Conservation International with the Fiji Development Bank, can turn ambition into action for the people who know these waters and these islands best.”
The session brought together Indigenous and customary leaders, youth representatives, conservation practitioners, government and development partners, and the Fiji Development Bank to explore how climate and conservation finance can move beyond short-term projects towards approaches that are long-term, flexible and locally led.
Filimone Waqabaca, Chief Executive Officer of the Fiji Development Bank, highlighted the importance of designing finance around community needs and strengthening local capacity.
“The starting point has to be understanding the socio-economic and environmental needs of communities. When we have that understanding, we can develop financial products that are relevant to the community and support both conservation and sustainable livelihoods.”
Taholo Kami, CEO and Principal Partner, Kami Pasifiki, said conservation finance needs to be more accessible to communities. “Conservation finance needs to be long-term, flexible and predictable if it is going to work for communities. We need to look at how we remove some of the barriers that prevent resources from reaching the people who are doing the conservation work.”
The discussion also underscored the importance of customary leadership, with Ratu Sakiusa Balemainabosevakaturaga Taukena, Chief of Ra, emphasising that customary leaders and communities need to be involved in decisions about finance from the outset.
Dr Winifereti Nainoca, environmental scientist and sustainable development adviser, reinforced the need for governments and partners to create an enabling environment for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities to lead the design and governance of climate, biodiversity and ocean finance.
Young Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities leader Alumita Lomalagi brought an intergenerational perspective, highlighting the importance of ensuring young people and women have meaningful opportunities to shape and lead conservation finance within their communities.
Mere Lakeba, Interim Pacific Lead at Conservation International, said: “Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are stewards of the lands and seas that sustain their livelihoods while providing ecosystem benefits that extend far beyond national borders. Climate finance needs to recognise and strengthen that leadership. If we want lasting outcomes for people and nature, solutions must be built around community knowledge, priorities and governance systems. When it is, it can strengthen local leadership and deliver benefits from the local level to the regional and global scale.”
The event was convened as part of the Sustainable Blue Pacific Initiative, a partnership between the UK government, Conservation International and the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, supported through the UK’s Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme, which works with Pacific governments, communities and regional partners to strengthen inclusive ocean governance, community-led monitoring and sustainable financing….PACNEWS
PNG – AVIATION: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 07 Oct 2026
PNG Govt plans to establish K20mil fund for aviation innovation
PORT MORESBY, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (THE NATIONAL) —The Papua New Guinea Government will establish a K20 million (US$4.41 million) aviation innovation fund to expand surveillance coverage and upgrade rural airstrips in the country says Minister for Civil Aviation Douglas Tomuriesa.
“Under the supplementary budget, we will establish a K20 million (US$4.41 million) fund to co-fund the automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) to Milne Bay, Western, Sepiks, New Guinea Islands, Highlands, runway lightings and fencing for 20 rural airstrips, plus a national aviation safety security training centre,” he said.
Tomuriesa said PNG aviation could not secure 21st Century skies with 20th Century tools.
“I direct Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa) PNG, NiuSky Pacific and the National Airports Corporation to sign a safety and security data sharing agreement before November 30,” he said.
Tomuriesa said the Government planned some legislative reforms next year.
“Government will bring to Parliament in 2027 the Civil Aviation Amendment Bill to strengthen powers on drone regulation and unruly passengers and cyber security for air navigation,” he said.
Tomuriesa said threats to aviation were becoming more complex around the world.
“Threats are increasingly complex,” he said.
“Traditional risks remain, while threats (continue to) emerge in cyberspace through rapid advancing technology, including drones.
“Protecting passengers, crew, airports, and critical infrastructure requires diligent, continuous improvement.”
Tomuriesa said the Government remaine committed to strengthening the aviation security framework to meet International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) obligations.
“Our goal is that by 2030, PNG achieves above Icao global average in both universal safety oversight audit programme and universal security audit programme,” he said…..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
Who restores the peace of our ancestors’ resting place? What is the price of our troubled hearts? A story of Non Economic Loss and Damage
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)— Ms Nei Tikaeita comes from the bustling village of Rawannawi on the island of Marakei in Kiribati.
For more than sixty years, she has walked the coastlines of Rawannawi. She knows the tides not by scientific instruments but from learning the patterns of coastal rhythms and an intimate knowledge of harvesting local plants to determine times and seasons.
She is the keeper of her family, composer of songs that keep lineage and customs, she is the custodian of land where her ancestors rest beneath traditional coral stones.
As a result of extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, extraordinary king tides are pushing past the outer reef, breaching the village, carving away the roads, saturating the freshwater lens with saltwater and flooding the grove.
When the waters recede, she stands beside the gravel ridge, the bones of her family members gathered and tied in a sarong, looking at their submerged babai (swamp taro) pit, the same babai pit that sustained her family for generations. The graves of her ancestors are exposed to the surf.
“Who helps to restore the peace of our ancestors’ resting place?” she asks. “Who counts the songs our girls will no longer sing because the garden where we harvested the fibres is dead? What is the cost and what is the price of our troubled hearts?”
Tikaeita’s ordeal is a familiar one for Pacific countries.
But Kiribati’s Minister for Women, Youth, Sport and Socials Affairs, Ruth Cross Kwansing, spotlighted her story to an international audience to highlight the grim reality of Non-Economic Loss and Damage (NELD) caused by climate change.
“When the multilateral climate machinery discusses Loss and Damage, it speaks almost exclusively in the balance sheet dialect of tangible assets: damaged infrastructure, shoreline retreat, and lost GDP,” said Hon. Kwansing.
“Yet for an atoll people whose land rises barely two metres above tide, our deepest injuries cannot be reconciled on an accountant’s spreadsheet. How do you assign an economic price tag to cultural sovereignty?
“What is the monetary equivalent of the mental distress and grief caused by a young person who wonders if the sovereign soil of their ancestors will remain above the water to anchor their own identity?”
Historically, loss and damage assessments have concentrated on economic tangible impacts caused by disasters such as infrastructure damage or agricultural losses.
But for Pacific communities, the consequences of climate change go far beyond the economic damages. Non-economic losses and damages (NELD) can be some of the most devastating with profound cultural and psychological effects that defy monetary valuation.
On the margins of pre-COP in Fiji, the Yarning for Resilient: Amplifying solutions for Non-Economic Loss and Damage in Oceania side event on Tuesday provoked emotions and asked the question of what happens when climate change takes what money can’t measure? Hon. Kwansing, who is also the Pacific’s Political Champion for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, said Tikaieta’s story must not be reduced to anecdote.
“It should be a catalyst for reform,” said the Minister. “The Global Loss and Damage Fund must create distinct, direct financing mechanisms for non economic loss evaluated through community determined metrics rather than strictly macroeconomic appraisals.
“Access must reach the grassroots, empowering women’s associations, youth networks, traditional leader to preserve intangible cultural heritage, restored community health and build localised resilience.”
The Yarning for Resilient: Amplifying solutions for Non-Economic Loss and Damage in Oceania side event also featured Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General SPREP who said unpacking non-economic loss and damage requires communication and engagement with communities. For this reason, SPREP through two projects, the NZ MFAT funded Loss and Damage Capacity and Capability project, as well as Building Our Loss and Damage (BOLD) Response project, initiated dialogues at the regional, national, state and outer island levels for Pacific countries.
“The Dialogues are a starting point- the first stepping stone to addressing loss and damage,” he said.
“Over the next few months SPREP will be supporting our Pacific negotiators and champions throughout the COP negotiation process and we will continue to push our message of keeping 1.5 degrees in reach.
“The science is clear. Losses and Damages are inevitable. But we will keep pushing for every inch of action we can get. Every increment of a degree that we prevent from rising is a huge win for our countries, our communities and our families.”
Other speakers included Tessa Kelly, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Zali Steggall, Federal Member for Warringah, Gabrielle Emery, UNDRR Pacific Subregional Office, Damian Morgan-Bulled, NESP Climate Systems Hub, CSIRO, Asiata Gerard Tuii Anapu, University of Melbourne. …PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Fiji Communities Strengthen Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Knowledge through Peer-to-Peer Learning
RAKIRAKI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)— Communities from Taveuni and Ra came together in Rakiraki to share knowledge, experience, and practical approaches for restoring ecosystems and strengthening climate resilience.
Organised through the Pacific Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change Plus (PEBACC+) Project, the learning event provided a practical platform for the 58 participants, including community representatives, farmers, women and youth representatives, traditional leaders and government officers, to exchange knowledge and experience on ecosystem restoration and Nature-based Solutions (NbS).
The learning event focused on mangrove restoration, reforestation, native tree planting, agroforestry and the connections between healthy ecosystems from ridge to reef. And at the heart of the event was peer-to-peer learning.
Participants from Taveuni had the opportunity to learn directly from communities and practitioners in Ra about restoration initiatives, while also sharing their own experience in mangrove restoration, farming and community-based resource management.
“We not only learned, but we also shared what we know and exchanged knowledge; this has been very educational,” said Rafaele Vuniwai, a Bouma representative. For participants, this created an opportunity to learn from the successes and challenges of another community facing similar environmental and climate-related issues.
Participants visited reforestation, mangrove planting and agroforestry sites in Rakiraki, where they could see restoration approaches in practice and speak directly with people involved in the work.
For Iliavi Seru, District Officer with the Ministry of Rural Development, the experience changed his perspective on how development and environmental protection can be approached. “Many times, we prioritise development and forget the importance of our environment and its protection. This learning event has changed my perspective and mindset on how we should approach development,” he said, reflecting on what he learned from the mangrove site visit.
Participants explored how activities in forests and farming areas can influence rivers, coastal ecosystems, marine life and livelihoods. Healthy forests can help retain rainfall and reduce erosion, while vegetated riverbanks can reduce sediment movement into downstream ecosystems.
For Apisai Kulataudrau, a farmer from Vuna, seeing this connection first-hand reinforced the importance of looking beyond individual ecosystems. “From the field visit, I learned about the impact of what we do uphill on our coast, the ridge-to-reef concept; it was great to learn from the people of Ra,” he said.
Rusiate Laladidi, Mata-ni-Tikina from Wainikeli, similarly highlighted the connection between forests and the coast and the importance of the ecosystems within that relationship.
The learning event also provided participants with practical approaches that could be considered and applied in their own communities.
Agroforestry was one area identified by participants as particularly relevant. By integrating trees, crops, animals and soil processes, agroforestry can support a more holistic approach to land management.
For Atonio Apole, a Vidawa community representative, the learning demonstrated the usefulness of agroforestry for land in Taveuni. “I learned about the effectiveness and usefulness of agroforestry for our land. These are lessons that I can take back and apply in Taveuni,” he said.
Participants also gained a greater appreciation of native tree planting and reforestation, including the role trees can play as windbreaks and in protecting coastal areas from strong winds and waves.
For some participants, the value of the learning event was reflected in a renewed commitment to continue restoration efforts at home.
Georgina Tawake of the Navakacoa Women’s and Youth Club said seeing the effort required to access and restore mangrove sites in Rakiraki broadened her understanding and gave her a renewed sense of purpose to expand the restoration work already underway in Taveuni. She said, “I thank SPREP for this learning event, as well as Conservation International for the field visits. What we do now will inspire others and future generations to carry on this work. It is up to us to apply all that we have learned.”
For Mikaele Tawake, Navakacoa Village Headman, the experience also reinforced the connection between his work on mangroves and the forests further inland. “I focus on mangroves back in Taveuni but here in Rakiraki, during the field visit, I decided to join the team going up to the forest, and I learned about the important link between the forest and the work that I do. I plan to take what I have learned and apply it back home.”
These reflections demonstrate the practical value of cross-site learning: participants were gaining new information and identifying lessons relevant to the work already taking place in their communities.
The Fiji Cross-Site EbA Learning Event that took place on 02-07 August 2026, contributes to the wider PEBACC+ focus on strengthening practical knowledge, capacity building and regional cooperation on ecosystem-based approaches to climate adaptation.
“The learning event is about bringing people together to share what is working on the ground, learn from each other’s experiences and identify approaches that can be adapted to their own communities,” said Loraini Sivo, PEBACC+ Project Manager, SPREP.
“By combining technical knowledge with practical field experience and traditional knowledge, participants were able to see the connections between healthy ecosystems, climate resilience and community livelihoods. We hope the lessons from Rakiraki will continue to inform and strengthen ecosystem-based adaptation efforts in Taveuni and other communities across Fiji.”
The PEBACC+ Project is implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), with support from the Kiwa Initiative and the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM)….PACNEWS
For more information, please contact: Setaita Tavanabola, Communications Officer, PEBACC+ Project, SPREP; email: setaitat@sprep.org or visit www.sprep.org/pebacc-plus
