In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — Tuvalu urges countries to turn fossil fuel transition pledges into action
2. PACIFIC — ‘The world we know is over’ without urgent climate action, leaders tell Cop31
3. PACIFIC — Solomon Islands pledges USD$400k to GCF
4. PACIFIC — Pacific climate envoy seeks $500M resilience fund at COP31 to safeguard island nations
5. PACIFIC — Global Loss and Damage Fund Chief assures Pacific of real financial action at COP31
6. PACIFIC — World leaders urged not to overlook Pacific plight
7. UN — ‘Make or bake time’: Guterres urges climate justice pact as leaders gather at COP31
8. FIJI — Constitution review not our only focus: Fiji PM
9. PACNEWS BIZ — ADB, GCF, and partners launch $1 billion Programme to Protect Pacific communities
10. PACNEWS BIZ — Pacific financial intelligence leaders sharpen focus on drug money
11. PACNEWS BIZ — El Niño could drive up food prices in Fiji
12. PACNEWS BIZ — Australia and Denmark strengthen Climate and Clean Energy cooperation
13. PACNEWS BIZ — RNZ’s unlawful overdraft was signed off by the board
14. PACNEWS DIGEST — What’s on your plate: Connecting the data behind Pacific food systems
16. PACNEWS DIGEST — Growing new roots: atoll communities pair opportunity crops with traditional foods in the Marshall Islands
PAC – COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Tuvalu urges countries to turn fossil fuel transition pledges into action
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (PACNEWS) — Tuvalu has called on countries to move beyond commitments to phase out fossil fuels and deliver practical action, warning that the transition is critical to the sovereignty and energy security of Pacific Island nations.
Tuvalu Climate Change Minister Maina Vakafua Talia said the country’s push to move away from fossil fuels was not just about reducing emissions but ensuring island nations could generate their own clean energy rather than depend on imported fuel.
Speaking at TED Countdown House ahead of the 2027 Tuvalu climate conference, which will be co-hosted with Ireland, Talia said the next phase of global climate action must focus on implementation.
“For us, moving away from fossil fuels was never only about emissions. It is about sovereignty. It is about energy security, producing our own clean power instead of depending on fuel shipped from thousands of kilometres away,” he said.
Talia described the Santa Marta conference as a historic breakthrough but said countries could not continue moving from one international meeting to another repeating commitments without delivering results.
He said the 2027 Tuvalu conference must turn discussions on the transition away from fossil fuels into concrete action.
At the centre of Tuvalu’s approach is the concept of ‘Tuakoi’, meaning being good neighbours, which Talia said should guide international cooperation and recognise that countries have different capacities and resources.
He said countries with greater resources had a greater responsibility to support those facing more barriers in transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Talia said Tuvalu and Ireland could not deliver the transition alone and called on governments and partners to arrive at the 2027 conference prepared to provide practical support.
“Tuvalu and Ireland cannot deliver this transition alone, nor should we be expected to,” he said.
“So, my ask is simple: come prepared not only to discuss the barriers, but to help remove them.”
His remarks reinforce Tuvalu’s call for a fair and practical global transition away from fossil fuels, with support for vulnerable countries to develop clean energy systems and reduce their dependence on imported fuel…. PACNEWS
PAC – COP31: THE GUARDIAN PACNEWS 2: Thu 12 Nov 2026
‘The world we know is over’ without urgent climate action, leaders tell Cop31
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (THE GAURDIAN) — Failure to provide an overwhelming response to the climate crisis means “the world we know is over”, the president of the embattled Marshall Islands has warned, as dozens of leaders gathered in Turkey for the Cop31 climate summit.
Hilda Heine, one of a handful of Pacific Island leaders to make an impassioned speech at Cop31 on Wednesday, told other heads of state that overshooting the 1.5C Paris temperature target would mean waves eating away their shores and floods that destroy towns, schools and hospitals.
She described seeing bright, lush coral beneath the water of her home island in July that had been bleached white just months later.
“It’s time to wake up,” said Heine. “Our response to the threat of overshoot must be overwhelming, or the world we know is over.”
Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados, also called out governments who had “not tried hard enough” to curb emissions since the Paris agreement.
“The UN tells us that, even if every pledge is delivered, we are heading for 2.6 degrees,” she said. “On current policies, 2.8 degrees is where we will end up.
“Let me be plain: overshoot is not a new target. It is a debt, a debt of heat, borrowed against our children’s future. And it must be repaid.”
The opening of the summit of international leaders, on day three of Cop31, saw impassioned speeches interspersed with vigorous displays of Turkish music and dancing.
António Guterres, the UN secretary general, blamed a deceitful fossil fuel industry and countries that “keep expanding fossil fuel production while claiming to be committed to 1.5C”. His speech – a salvo aimed at boosting the talks – was one of the last Guterres, a vocal climate advocate, will deliver as secretary general before he stands down next month.
“We need an extraordinary acceleration,” Guterres said. “Our planet is heating up. The clock is winding down. It’s made or bake time.
“Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs,” he added. “And that won’t happen on its own. The dinosaurs did not have a lobby – fossil fuels do.”
Guterres said oil and gas companies had distorted science and delayed action on the climate crisis and called for a windfall tax on their bumper profits they have made from the Iran war. “It’s time to kick the habit and end the fossil-fuel addiction,” he said to applause. “It’s time for governments to tax these windfall profits and use them to help vulnerable countries recover. Polluters must pay.”
Unusually, Turkey is co-hosting Cop with Australia, with the leaders of both countries, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Anthony Albanese respectively, each praising the partnership.
Erdoğan said he wants Cop31 to be remembered as a turning point in the climate crisis and called on countries to act, rather than just make promises. “Every minute we fail to meet the targets in the Paris agreement, the risks and costs we face continue to grow,” the Turkish president said. However, on Monday, away from the conference hall, Erdoğan celebrated the discovery of two new oilfields with an estimated in-situ potential of 135m barrels.
In her speech before world leaders, Heine said every new oil well drilled and every piece of coal extracted was a threat to her country’s future. Without naming any individual oil or gas producer, she added: “The discovery of new fossil fuel resources is not something to celebrate but something to fear.”
Albanese said the conference was a “historic moment” for Australia. The country is one of the world’s biggest exporters of coal and liquified gas. Albanese said governments had a “solemn responsibility” to act on the climate crisis, but he was criticised for failing to mention fossil fuels in his speech.
The gathering of leaders was relatively threadbare. While 91 national leaders attended, according to the UN, major figures such as Donald Trump of the US and Xi Jinping of China were absent. Tellingly, some other leaders who declined to attend, including the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, are instead heading to Ireland for a conference on AI.
Every country at Cop31 is lagging in cutting emissions, with insufficient finance for the nations most vulnerable to extreme heat, floods, fires and other climate-fuelled calamities.
Although the world is barrelling past the 1.5C limit and is entering the teeth of one of the strongest El Niño events in history, there is little sign that the talks will feature any further progress on phasing out planet-heating fossil fuels.
“I’m getting a feeling of panic from around here, from the science community,” said Bill Hare, a climate scientist and chief executive of Climate Analytics, who described fraught conversations with rainforest and cryosphere scientists.
“The mood is gradually darkening among scientists. In fact, people talk about feeling as though things have gone backwards.”
Small island nations face an existential threat from rising sea levels and are some of the countries most exposed to catastrophe when global heating shoots past 1.5C.
The UN Environment Programme has found that such overshoot is now inevitable and warned that its effects on icy regions will be so calamitous it should be kept as brief and low as possible.
Other world leaders stressed the urgency of this moment of multiple crises and the need for multilateralism to finally deliver.
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, the president of North Macedonia, said: “We are the first generation to fully understand the consequences of our choices – and the last with time to change course. Future generations will live with the consequences of our decisions.”
Nataša Pirc Musar, the president of Slovenia, said: “If we cannot agree that human dignity and respect for nature must be at the heart of our decisions then, frankly, what is left to unite us…. PACNEWS
PAC – COP31: SOLOMON STAR PACNEWS 2: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Solomon Islands pledges USD$400k to GCF
By Eddie Osifelo in Antalya, Turkiye
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (SOLOMON STAR) — Solomon Islands is set to become the first country to pledge to the Green Climate Fund’s third replenishment (GCF-3), making history as the first Small Island Developing State (SIDS) or Least Developed Country (LDC) ever to pledge to a GCF replenishment cycle.
The USD$400,000 commitment is particularly symbolic: one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations is putting the first money on the table for GCF-3, ahead of the world’s largest economies.
The announcement comes as countries prepare for the Fund’s next replenishment cycle, culminating in October 2027, and sends a clear message to wealthier nations to step up their climate finance commitments.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has announced the pledge during a GCF side event of the COP31 in Antalya, Turkey on Wednesday, and called on major economies to follow suit, stating:
“I call on all contributors and partners with the capacity to do so to support a timely, adequate and ambitious GCF free replenishment.”
Wale in partnership with GCF cordially invite GCF Director General to go and visit Solomon Islands next year to see firsthand the work that GCF has been doing with us.
He said GCF continues to deliver the same in the Pacific Islands region, in SIDS and in developing countries.
“Such partnerships demonstrate what is possible when climate finance is country driven, aligned with national priorities and focused on measurable results.
“A reformed and ambitious and full, fully replenished GCF3 will enable scaling of renewable energy and resilient infrastructure,” he said.
“It will expand community level adaptation that protects islands, livelihoods, food security and vulnerable populations.
“We therefore call for an ambitious and timely third, replenishment of the Green Climate Fund.
“A well capitalised and adequately resourced GCF is essential to sustaining and scaling up climate finance to effectively address growing climate threats and challenges and to implementing national climate commitments to achieve the climate and sustainable development goals,” he said.
PM Wale said an ambitious GCF3 will need to be guided by a call for climate finance to be grant based, demand driven, flexible and delivered through national budget systems.
“From our lessons Learned and experience, ECF3 can deliver better with the following pivots.
First, focus on country ownership and locally led solutions.
“One of the clearest lessons is that country ownership matters.
“Solutions are most effective when governments, communities, women, youth, traditional knowledge holders help in shaping priorities and implementation,” he said.
Second, use of national systems and delivery national scale program programmatic approach, responsive to localized priorities and reflecting the diversity of considerations.
“We know our issues and our systems are designed poor for that.
“Any form of scaling must be at country level, across sectors or across sub national levels to increase impact,” he said.
“To ensure climate finance follows vulnerability, the GCF and its accredited entities multilaterals it is important that there is an increased appreciation and use of Multidimensional Vulnerability Index as a tool to operationalize the special circumstances of SIDS in determining access to an allocation of resources and the terms of investments,” he said.
More so when GCF funds are mobilised with other funding sources in the same projects.
He said terms of GCF concessional funding must be the basis of terms for other funding sources as well.
“There is great need to move from the status quo when it comes to climate financing.
“Transformative fourthly, transformative investment in natural capital,” he said.
“Over 90% of the people in my country are First nations indigenous.
“The indigenous economy has sustained them for generations in the face of a changing climate.
“Their knowledge and affinity to nature is the biggest resilient resilience adaptive tool capacity.
“We need to recognise natural capital as an asset class around water, forest, biodiversity and regulatory services to contribute to long term resilience and sequestration of carbon dioxide,” he said.
The pledge will be reaffirmed at Thursday’s World Leaders Summit…. PACNEWS
PAC – COP31: ANADOULU PACNEWS 2: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Pacific climate envoy seeks $500M resilience fund at COP31 to safeguard island nations
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (ANADOULU) — Pacific Island nations are seeking to mobilise US$500 million for a regional resilience fund to support communities threatened by rising sea levels and extreme weather, a senior Pacific climate envoy said Tuesday, calling for reforms to make international climate financing more accessible.
Speaking to Anadolu on the sidelines of the UN climate conference COP31 in Antalya, Ruel Yamuna, the COP31 Pacific Envoy for Climate Finance Access and Papua New Guinea’s Special Envoy for Climate and Environment, said capitalising the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) is among the region’s main priorities at the summit.
‘Our target for the PRF, the Pacific Resilience Facility, is US$500 million,” Yamuna said.
He acknowledged that the amount would not cover the region’s broader climate financing needs but described it as an important starting point for funding small, locally led projects and initiatives.
Yamuna said a pledging event was expected later this week, building on momentum from recent preparatory meetings in Fiji, where six additional pledges were made toward the facility’s capitalization.
The envoy stressed that access to climate financing remains a major challenge for Pacific island nations, despite their vulnerability to the impacts of global warming.
“The countries that are in the forefront do not have access to the funding resources that are supposed to be there helping those communities in the frontline,” he said.
Yamuna said small island governments often lack the technical capacity needed to prepare funding applications and develop projects that meet international financing requirements.
“We have small island economies, small governmental departments with limited capacity,” he said, explaining that some governments have just one or two technical officers responsible for multiple tasks.
Another major obstacle is accreditation, as only a limited number of local institutions across the Pacific are authorised to access international climate funds directly.
As a result, countries frequently depend on international organisations including the UN Development Programme, the UN Environment Programme and the World Bank to prepare and submit proposals.
Yamuna said developing funding proposals can take between 12 and 24 months, while the Green Climate Fund Secretariat has set a timeline of nine to 12 months for moving proposals from concept notes to full applications.
“In theory, it’s great — nine months cut off. But in practice, it’s a challenge,” he said.
He called for reforms to streamline funding procedures and ensure that climate finance reaches vulnerable communities more quickly.
Yamuna warned that delays in financing have serious consequences for Pacific communities already experiencing the effects of climate change.
“Climate change is not an abstract thing, or something that we are just talking about that will happen in 5 to 10 years. It’s already happening,” he said.
He pointed to rising sea levels, flooding of agricultural land and increasingly extreme weather patterns across Pacific island nations.
Some communities living on low-lying atolls are already seeking relocation and resettlement, he said.
“You have some who do not want to leave, but some they don’t have any choice because their land is low lying and it’s already submerged underwater,” Yamuna said.
He emphasised that protecting vulnerable communities requires financial support and technology transfer, citing land reclamation initiatives in Tuvalu as an example of adaptation efforts.
Beyond the resilience fund, Yamuna said Pacific nations are seeking progress on an Access to Finance Statement and Action Plan developed following preparatory climate meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu.
The initiative, announced by Australian Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, aims to address longstanding barriers preventing vulnerable countries from accessing climate funding.
Yamuna said discussions were continuing ahead of an anticipated formal signing later this week.
“We are, as a region, looking forward to carrying out some of those reforms that are needed to ensure that finance is streamlined, is accessible and is affordable,” he said.
He also welcomed cooperation between Türkiye, Australia and Pacific island nations under the COP31 framework, describing it as an opportunity to bring greater international attention to the region’s climate challenges.
“I think it’s the first of its kind, where you have a partnership like Türkiye and Australia, including the Pacific, to progress some of these issues, very important issues,” he said.
Yamuna expressed appreciation for Turkish Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum and Australian Minister Chris Bowen, voicing hope that the summit would deliver concrete reforms benefiting vulnerable island communities.
“For us as a region, as the Pacific, we are proud and privileged to be standing on the shoulders of giants like Türkiye, Australia, to shine the spotlight on our region,” he said…. PACNEWS
PAC – COP31: INDEPTH SOLOMONS PACNEWS 2: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Global Loss and Damage Fund Chief assures Pacific of real financial action at COP31
By Charley Piringi in Antalya, Turkiye
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (INDEPTH SOLOMONS) — Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) CEO Ibrahim Cheikh Diong has assured Pacific leaders at COP31 that the global financing mechanism will cut bureaucratic delays to deliver accessible resources to vulnerable island nations.
“This fund was designed to be different, and we expect to hear your feedback to make sure we make it relevant to the countries of the region,” Diong stated, pledging that the fund must transition “from being ridiculous to being relevant, highly capitalised, and responsive to demand”.
While recognising that grant funding alone cannot meet the scale of the crisis, Diong stressed that securing effective climate relief requires deploying diverse financial mechanisms and consolidating global resources to reach the ultimate goal.
Speaking at the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion side event, Fiji’s Minister for Environment and Climate Change and PSIDS Chair, Lynda Tabuya, said the region’s climate issues daily lived realities and demanded immediate action which needs collective action from all pacific leaders and development and financing.
“For Pacific families, climate change means saltwater in drinking wells, damaged crops, fewer fish and homes threatened by rising seas,” Tabuya declared. Calling on delegates to turn global commitments into practical support, she added, “One Pacific. One voice. Real results for our people”.
A critical barrier for the region remains the agonising delay in accessing these promised funds.
Wayne Ghemu, Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology for Solomon Islands, cautioned that administrative hurdles in global finance frequently strip aid of its intended impact.
“The value of a dollar is shaped by timing,” Ghemu explained.
“When we turn to global financial institutions for climate finance, the wait is long… By the time funds are approved, the cyclone has passed, costs have risen, and the project we designed is often no longer the project our communities need. Finance that arrives after the moment of need has missed its purpose”.
Exley Taloiburi, Head of Multilateral Governance at the Green Climate Fund, reinforced this urgency, noting that the country does not have a domestic accredited implementing entity.
“Right now, we do not have a national implementing entity in the Solomon Islands, we currently have a gap in that space.” Taloiburi said.
He added, “Our country is not only a victim of climate change; we are a changemaker, and a proactive leader at the international level,” Taloiburi said.
As COP31 negotiations intensify, Pacific delegates remain united in their core demand for the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage: simplify access, speed up delivery, and ensure funding arrives before the next cyclone strikes, rather than years after the devastation…. PACNEWS
PAC – COP31: AAP PACNEWS 2: Thu 12 Nov 2026
World leaders urged not to overlook Pacific plight
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (AAP) — World leaders have been urged to extend a lifeline to Pacific nations under threat from rising sea levels and extreme weather at the COP31 summit in Turkey.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued the call to action on Wednesday at the opening of the two-day World Leaders Climate Action Summit segment of the United Nations event.
Australia will lead negotiations at the annual climate talks and Albanese said it would use the opportunity to highlight the plight of its regional neighbours.
“We sought this role because we wanted to speak for the people of the world who need urgent action, including those from our Pacific family,” he said.
“Their brave, resourceful people need us to act and they’re pleading for us to do so, politely but with absolute clarity”
Albanese cited the plea of aspiring doctor, 13-year-old Melelusi Sokotia from Tuvalu, who told leaders at the Pre-COP event that she and her peers wanted to remain safe in their island nation.
He also called for nations to support the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), launched in 2025, designed to raise US$500 million (AUD$726 million) for climate change and adaption projects.
“I plead with you to join our campaign to help the nations of the Pacific to confront a climate challenge that they certainly did not create,” he said.
The high-level leaders’ summit will feature addresses from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and recently re-elected Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Outgoing United National Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also addressed attendees, calling for urgent action to address climate change including phasing out fossil fuels.
His call came months after the UN warned the world was on track to surpass 1.5C of warming within a few years and should act to limit the severity and duration of the overshoot.
“Our first climate duty is to tell the truth and the brutal truth is that the climate crisis is outrunning us,” he said.
“The last four years were the hottest ever and fossil fuel interests keep making a killing while killing our planet. This is the path of mutually assured destruction.”
Greater investments in renewable energy including solar power could help nations move away from coal, oil and gas, Guterres said.
“Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs but that will not happen on its own,” he said.
“It’s time to kick the habit and end the fossil-fuel addiction.”
More than 92,000 people have registered to attend the summit in Antalya, which could be the largest COP to date…. PACNEWS
UN – COP31: UN NEWS CENTRE PACNEWS 2: Thu 12 Nov 2026
‘Make or bake time’: Guterres urges climate justice pact as leaders gather at COP31
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE) — UN chief António Guterres called for a new global climate justice agreement at COP31 on Wednesday, urging governments to tax fossil fuel companies to help countries bearing the brunt of a crisis they did little to cause.
His appeal came as world leaders gathered in Antalya amid unresolved questions over climate finance and the future of fossil fuels.
Wednesday saw packed corridors at the COP31 conference venue in Antalya as world leaders arrived for a two-day high-level Summit, bringing tighter security, road closures and an early start for delegates, some of whom reached the venue as early as 5 a.m.
Those who arrived before dawn were rewarded with a spectacular sunrise. Later, at the opening ceremony, traditional Turkish dancing, colourful performances, videos and even a COP31 theme song gave the opening ceremony an unusually festive air for a gathering confronting one of the world’s most pressing crises.
But the day’s most memorable message came from the Secretary-General, who accused polluters of delaying action, and once again warned that the climate crisis is advancing faster than global efforts to contain it.
“Our planet is heating up. The clock is winding down. It’s made or bake time,” he said, reminding world leaders that even if current national plans are fully implemented, the planet is heading towards more than 2.5°C of warming by century’s end.
But he insisted that breaching the 1.5°C threshold does not mean giving up. “Science is not telling us to surrender. It is telling us to fight harder” the UN chief said, stressing that every fraction of a degree of warming avoided matters.
Against that backdrop, the Secretary-General proposed a ‘climate justice compact’ to help developing countries move away from fossil fuels while protecting those already suffering from climate change.
“We cannot demand that countries transform their economies while denying them the means to do so,” he said.
The proposed compact rests on four priorities:
*Accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels through national plans that protect workers and communities, while expanding renewable energy.
*Protect vulnerable populations with early-warning systems, stronger adaptation measures and faster support after climate disasters.
*Deliver affordable climate finance, with wealthy countries fulfilling their commitments and more investment reaching developing nations.
*Strengthen international cooperation to overcome trade barriers, technological divides and geopolitical rivalries.
The UN chief took aim at fossil fuel interests, accusing them of distorting science and delaying climate action.
“Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs,” he declared. “The dinosaurs did not have a lobby. Fossil fuels do.”
He contrasted the US$95 billion earned by the world’s nine largest oil companies in one quarter with the roughly US$600 million received by the international fund helping vulnerable countries recover from climate-related loss and damage.
That was equivalent to just 14 hours of those companies’ profits, he said, urging governments to tax windfall profits.
“Polluters must pay”, a line that earned him an ovation in the plenary.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose country is co-hosting COP31 in Antalya with Australia, acknowledged that three decades of climate negotiations had failed to deliver sufficient results.
“This success at the level of ideas has not produced the same results when it comes to implementation,” he said, calling for greater support for developing countries.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva, meanwhile, warned that climate change was losing ground on the international agenda as wars and trade disputes overshadowed the fight against global warming.
“We started talking more about weapons and tariffs than the survival of future generations,” he said, defending international cooperation at a time when climate science and multilateralism are increasingly under attack.
Lula also announced that Brazil would develop national roadmaps to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and end deforestation, building on the work of last year’s COP30, which was held in the Amazon.
An invisible gas that traps more than 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide over 20 years featured prominently during Wednesday’s “Zero Waste” thematic day.
Methane, released by fossil fuel operations, agriculture and rotting waste, is responsible for a third of global warming to date. At a special event, Guterres called on the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to develop a global standard for near-zero methane emissions from oil and gas.
UNEP is already tracking major leaks from space, using satellites and artificial intelligence to identify emissions and alert governments and companies.
Julia Ferini, who leads UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory, told UN News that the system has helped reduce emissions in 45 cases across 13 countries.
She pointed to a recent case in Iraq, where a damaged gas pipeline had been leaking methane for two years, producing emissions equivalent to those of 350,000 cars. The leak was stopped by applying a coating to the corroded pipe.
“Methane is our climate emergency brake,” she said, explaining that cutting this short-lived gas could slow warming quickly, buying time to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Yet despite more than 5,000 alerts issued since 2023, barely one in eight has received a response, the UN chief noted.
And while negotiators in Antalya wrestle with how to accelerate climate action, young entrepreneurs are already putting some of them into practice.
In Botswana, Makwena Moesi is tackling food waste with an unusual workforce: more than half a million worms.
Her company, Viva Organica, collects organic waste from food retailers and turns it into fertiliser through a process known as vermicomposting, improving soil health while keeping waste out of landfills.
The business has already processed more than 1,000 tonnes of organic waste.
But Moesi, a biologist by training, says climate-friendly solutions must also make economic sense.
“A farmer does not wake up in the morning thinking about what am I gonna do to help sequester this amount of carbon dioxide from the air,” she told UN News.
Instead, she said, farmers want to know how much food they can grow, how to improve their harvests and whether they can afford the products that could help them…. PACNEWS
FIJI – CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM/ELNINO: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 2: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Constitution review not our only focus: Fiji PM
SUVA, 12 NOVEMBER 2206 (FIJI SUN) — Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says the Government is not so focused on the Constitution review that it is overlooking other pressing issues, including the prolonged dry spell affecting communities across Fiji.
Responding to concerns that the Government was giving the review too much attention, Rabuka described the El Niño dry spell as “a very pressing problem right now”.
“We are equally aware of what else is going on,” he said.
Rabuka said the responsible ministry and the ministry overseeing regional development had been delivering water to the worst-affected communities.
He clarified that the prolonged dry spell had not yet been declared a state of emergency.
“It is not a real state of emergency, just a warning to get people to exercise water discipline,” he said.
Last week, Public Works Minister Ro Filipe Tuisawau said the Government was working towards declaring a national emergency.
Rabuka assured affected communities that they “will have access to water”.
He said that if funds needed to be transferred between ministries, the Ministry of Finance would facilitate this through additional provisions.
Rabuka said an announcement on El Niño would come from the Minister for Works and the Minister for Regional Development.
He also described the prolonged dry spell as a lesson in how people treated the land.
“We know that the Bible talks about every seven years you don’t touch the land. Let the land recover. But we don’t have that sabbath here,” he said.
“We do not allow the world and the earth to replenish itself.”
Meanwhile, up to 11 political parties are expected to appear before the Special Committee on the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026 this week and next week, says Prime Minister and committee chairman Sitiveni Rabuka.
Rabuka said the parties had informed the committee that they would appear before it completed its work.
He said members of the public could also participate in the consultation process.
“It’s also open to the members of the public who want to come and give their submissions,” he said.
The committee was initially given 30 days between the second and third readings of the Bill.
However, Parliament later agreed to extend the deadline after political parties raised concerns that the original timeframe was too short.
Rabuka told Parliament the additional time would allow the committee to hear more submissions from the public…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PAC – COP31: ADB PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 12 Nov 2026
ADB, GCF, and partners launch $1 billion Programme to orotect Pacific communities
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (ADB) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the governments of the Cook Islands and Palau, and partners today launched a major new initiative to help Pacific Island communities protect their homes, livelihoods, and infrastructure from rising seas and increasingly destructive storms.
The ADB programme aims to mobilise more than US$1 billion in financing to support 14 Pacific island economies.
“Across the Pacific, rising seas and increasingly destructive storms threaten homes, livelihoods, and the infrastructure that people depend on,” said ADB President Masato Kanda.
“For island communities, this is a matter of survival. This investment, which ADB has taken leadership in developing, will help them prepare for the dangers ahead, protect their people, and build a more secure future for their children.”
The initiative, formally known as the Regional Programmatic Approach for Climate Action (RPACA), was launched during COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, following GCF’s approval of US$250 million for the programme.’
RPACA will help Pacific Island governments strengthen roads, water supplies, power systems, coastal defences, and urban infrastructure against extreme weather and rising seas.
The launch brought together Pacific leaders and development partners, including representatives of the governments of Palau and the Cook Islands, GCF, the Pacific Community (SPC), and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
The initiative will coordinate investments across the region while allowing participating governments to set priorities based on their own needs.
“On behalf of the RPACA Co-Chairs, I thank the RPACA Working Group for coordinating Pacific priorities, ensuring the approach is Pacific-led, and bringing regional innovation,” said Palau President Surangel Whips Jr.
“In this long-term partnership for climate action and resilience across the Pacific, success will be measured by how effectively we implement our commitments and deliver outcomes that improve our people’s lives.”
Pacific island economies face growing threats from severe storms, flooding, and rising sea levels. Their geographic isolation and limited economic diversification make it particularly difficult to prepare for disasters and recover from their effects.
GCF’s US$250 million grant will be combined with ADB grants, low-interest loans, and other financing to support projects that protect essential infrastructure and services. The program will also help governments attract public and private investment, improve financial management, and plan long-term measures to protect vulnerable communities.
“I have travelled to many countries on the front line of the climate crisis,” said GCF Executive Director Mafalda Duarte.
“In the Pacific, the threat is written into the geography: many islands sit just a few meters above the sea, and a single storm can cut off the only road, port or water supply a community depends on.
RPACA will help 14 countries build roads, ports, water and energy systems, schools and clinics that can withstand what is coming, and reach 3.7 million Pacific Islanders, one in four people across those countries. Shaped in the Pacific, led by the Pacific, and owned by the Pacific, it is our biggest single step in the region yet. It brings GCF’s commitment across the Pacific to US$1.2 billion, with a further US$2 billion in cofinancing,” she said.
The Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Naoero, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu will be eligible for support.
ADB’s programme forms part of a broader regional initiative being developed with the Pacific Community and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
The three organisations are preparing complementary programmes to strengthen infrastructure, improve food and water security, protect public health and natural ecosystems, reduce pollution, and share knowledge across the region…. PACNEWS
PAC – MONEY LAUNDERING: AUSTRAC PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Pacific financial intelligence leaders sharpen focus on drug money
SYDNEY, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (AUSTRAC) — Pacific financial intelligence leaders have agreed to prioritise cracking down on the criminal networks moving money from the illicit drug trade.
They will also focus on scams, cyber-enabled crime and other serious and organised crime threats.
The Pacific Financial Intelligence Community (PFIC) set its priorities for the year ahead at its October plenary in Sydney. These include stronger intelligence sharing, capability development and practical cooperation against transnational financial crime.
AUSTRAC Chief Executive Officer Brendan Thomas said following illicit money generated by the drug trade was critical to disrupting organised crime across the Pacific.
“Drug trafficking generates huge criminal profits, up to $19 billion (US$13 billion) in Australia alone, and those profits need to be moved, hidden and laundered, across our economy and the region,” Thomas said.
“By working together and following the money, we can identify and disrupt the networks and professional facilitators that allow drug traffickers to profit from their crimes.
“Strong intelligence sharing and regional cooperation make it much harder for criminal networks to exploit gaps between jurisdictions.”
The plenary also marked a further step in cooperation between AUSTRAC and Naoero, with the two financial intelligence units signing a memorandum of understanding to strengthen information sharing and cooperation.
“Our memorandum of understanding with Naoero puts that cooperation into practice, strengthening our ability to share information and act together against financial crime.”
The Sydney meetings also included the first in-person joint sessions between PFIC and the Pacific Supervisors’ Forum (PSF). The sessions brought together the region’s financial intelligence and regulatory leaders to discuss shared financial crime threats, regulatory challenges and opportunities for closer cooperation.
A key point of discussion was the impact of the withdrawal of correspondent banking services to the Pacific region’s banks and governments. Delegates identified initiatives to support existing efforts on this issue, including increased engagement with correspondent banks and increased consistency of regulatory practice across the Pacific region.
Pacific partners also agreed to continue working collaboratively to support the integrity and stability of the region’s financial systems and maintain access to vital banking and payment services…. PACNEWS
FIJI – AGRICULTURE/ELNINO: FIJI SUN PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 12 Nov 2026
El Niño could drive up food prices in Fiji
SUVA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (FIJI SUN) — -Fiji consumers could face higher food prices as El Niño disrupts agricultural production and increases the cost of imported goods, with the effects also expected to reach local markets and the export sector.
Minister for Agriculture and Waterways Sakiusa Tubuna warned that Fiji should prepare for the economic impact of El Niño, saying its effects would extend beyond local farmers.
He said disruptions to agricultural production in other countries could increase the cost of goods imported into Fiji, placing further pressure on consumers.
Tubuna said consumers needed to understand that Fiji could also be affected by rising prices in international markets.
“We should be telling our consumers that our imports will be affected,” he said.
He also warned that prolonged dry conditions could affect Fiji’s agricultural exports by reducing local production.
“Reduced crop production could affect the volume of agricultural goods available for export, creating further pressure on the sector.” Tunabuna said.
Tubuna said the effects of El Niño were not confined to farming, as changes in production and supply could have wider economic consequences.
His warning comes as the Government rolls out El Niño response measures to support farmers facing declining water supplies, crop losses and pressure on their livelihoods.
The six initiatives include emergency farm water and irrigation, livestock feed and animal health, climate-resilient planting materials, climate-smart agriculture, household food security and sugar-sector drought protection.
The measures aim to help farmers maintain production and minimise the impact of prolonged dry conditions…. PACNEWS
PAC – COP31 /CLEAN ENERGY1: AUST GOVT PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 12 Nov 2026
Australia and Denmark strengthen Climate and Clean Energy cooperation
ANTALYA, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (AUST GOVT) — Australia and Denmark have signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing the Climate and Energy Partnership to create new economic opportunities, technology development, investment and jobs.
The partnership will deepen collaboration on clean energy, industrial decarbonisation and climate action, to maximise the opportunities from our abundant renewable resources and world-leading clean technology innovation.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen and Denmark’s Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Samira Nawa signed the agreement at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
It followed a discussion between the ministers and Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark on opportunities for closer climate and energy cooperation, building upon the success of the Danish Royal Visit to Australia in March this year.
Priority areas of focus include offshore wind and renewable energy deployment, energy efficiency, industrial decarbonisation, energy storage and renewable hydrogen, all areas with strong potential for job creation.
Australia and Denmark will also collaborate on global climate action, strengthen climate resilience and adaptation, and support developing countries, particularly in the Pacific, with a focus on improving access to climate finance.
“The clean energy transition is one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time,” Minister Bowen said.
“Together, we are strengthening international energy and climate cooperation while creating new industries, new investment and secure jobs in both our countries. The partnership is about turning ambition into opportunity.
“By deepening collaboration on innovation, research and industrial decarbonisation, we can drive new investment, strengthen clean energy supply chains, boost low-emissions trade and create lasting economic benefits for Australians and Danes alike,” he said…. PACNEWS
NZ – NATIONAL BROADCASTER: RNZ PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 12 Nov 2026
RNZ’s unlawful overdraft was signed off by the board
WELLINGTON, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (RNZ) — Radio New Zealand has confirmed its request for a $5m (US$2.78 million) overdraft, which breached the Crown Entities Act, was signed off by the board.
The public broadcaster on Monday revealed a shock $12 million (US$6.67 million) budget blowout, after a litany of financial blunders.
CEO Paul Thompson took responsibility for the result and said internal reports gave an inaccurate picture of the finances, meaning the scale of the loss only became clear in October.
While carrying out the broadcaster’s annual audit, EY identified a breach of the Crown Entities Act – emphasising it in RNZ’s annual report.
“We draw your attention to Note 12 on page 32 about the Group not complying with sections 160 and 162 of the Crown Entities Act 2004, in that the Group entered into a financing arrangement without the authority of the Minister for Media and Communications and the Minister of Finance.”
The breach concerned a $5m (US$2.78 million) overdraft that was set up without ministerial approval.
RNZ said the $5m (US$2.78 million) overdraft was initiated to provide RNZ with a safety net in the event one of its land sales was delayed, so the company could manage significant one-off costs, but was never used.
By law, RNZ needs sign-off from two ministers to borrow money, which it last received in 2006 for up to $3.5m (US$1.94 million).
On Checkpoint, RNZ board chair Brent Impey accepted the organisation had broken the law.
“Now, how did that happen? That’s very difficult to explain. That there was a loan with Westpac and again, the Crown Entities Act was breached.”
A RNZ spokesperson said the board approved a temporary $5m (US$2.78 million) overdraft facility on 09 June 2026.
Chief financial officer, Hilary Parker – who resigned unexpectedly in early October – initiated setting up the overdraft, which RNZ’s executive took to the board, the spokesperson said.
Public law expert and barrister Mai Chen said the fact that ministerial approval wasn’t obtained raises questions.
“You’ve got people in highly paid positions who don’t seem to understand that they’re a Crown entity, they’re subject to the Crown Entities Act,” she said.
“Why did they do it without going through the right process?”
Chen said it was concerning that the board was unaware of the breach and more broadly in the dark about RNZ’s financial position.
A RNZ spokesperson said the $5m (US$2.78 million) overdraft was set up to provide RNZ with a safety net in the event one of its land sales was delayed, “while the company also managed a significant number of one-off costs”.
They noted the overdraft was undrawn as at 30 June 2026.
Asked if RNZ management was aware of its obligations under the Crown Entities Act, RNZ pointed to section 160 of the Act – that outlines the need for ministerial sign-off – in its borrowing policy.
They said no internal or external legal advice was sought prior to entering the overdraft.
“The independent review will establish what happened and why,” the spokesperson said.
A Westpac spokesperson said the bank didn’t comment on specific customers’ banking details.
“However, we can confirm that we have strict approval processes for all lending of this scale. Any questions specifically relating to RNZ’s banking are best directed to RNZ…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
What’s on your plate: Connecting the data behind Pacific food systems
SUVA/WOLLONGONG, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (SPC) — Food reaches across Pacific life, connecting farms, fisheries and trade with culture, the environment, households and health. The data available, however, seldom offer the same joined-up view.
A Pacific partnership is working to change that.
The Pacific Community (SPC), WorldFish and the University of Wollongong’s Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) launched last week a new collaboration to improve the evidence available on Pacific food systems.
The partnership brings together researchers and specialists in statistics and data, agriculture, fisheries, public health and climate change. That breadth and integration reflect the subject itself, said Emily King, Coordinator of SPC’s Food Systems Flagship.
“When we talk about Pacific food systems, we are looking at where food is grown or caught, how it is transported and traded, what people can afford and choose to eat, and what that means for health, livelihoods and the environment of people across the Pacific,” King said.
“Those connections cut across much of SPC’s work. The Food Systems Flagship brings that expertise together, while trusted research partners like WorldFish and ANCORS contribute knowledge and investment from outside SPC.”
One system, many sources
Evidence about Pacific food systems comes from many places. The problem, said Dr Michael Sharp, an economic statistics adviser with SPC’s Statistics for Development Division, is that those sources rarely come together.
“Data help us put the puzzle pieces together,” Dr Sharp said. “Production statistics tell us what food is being grown or harvested. Trade statistics show what is entering and leaving a country. Household data help us understand what people are eating and what they can afford, while health data show some dietary-associated outcomes.
“These sources are often collected, stored and analysed separately. Connecting them would give us a much clearer picture of how Pacific food systems are changing and where policy can make a difference.”
A decision made in one part of the system may depend on conditions elsewhere. Dr Sharp gave the example of efforts to increase the supply of vegetables.
“It’s easy to say, ‘Let’s plant more vegetables.’ But once those vegetables are grown, they may need cold storage and a distribution chain, and they still need to reach consumers who can afford them.
“Production, distribution and consumption are not isolated activities. Pulling one lever can affect another part of the system.”
The same applies to health policy, he says. Tackling anaemia, for example, may require action across food production, trade, household incomes and education, as well as health services.
The evidence and the gaps
A workshop in Suva, Fiji, last week, ‘Building the Evidence Architecture for Pacific Food Systems Futures’, examined what food systems information already exists, what remains missing and why available evidence can be difficult to use together.
Data may be held by different agencies, recorded under different classifications or locked in reports rather than published in structured formats that support further analysis. Substantial gaps remain in areas including agricultural production, household consumption, nutrition, health and fisheries.
“Pacific food systems are relatively data-poor, but the answer is not always to collect more data,” Dr Sharp said.
“We need to understand what already exists, how it is stored, whether it can be found and compared, and how it can be made useful to decision-makers. We need to connect the evidence we have to address the gaps.”
The partnership’s focus is on the network of data, research, standards, technology and expertise needed to answer practical questions that SPC’s member countries and territories have about their food systems. These range from how changing trade patterns are affecting diets to what even higher fuel and fertiliser prices could mean.
Following the flow of food
SPC already supports important parts of the region’s food systems evidence, including through the Pacific Data Hub.
PACComtrade, the Pacific Commodity Trade Database, publishes detailed monthly import and export data on the Pacific Data Hub drawn from the customs systems of participating countries. It gives governments, researchers and businesses near-real-time information about the movement of goods.
Also on the Pacific Data Hub, the Pacific Food Trade Database provides a different view, allowing users to examine trends in volume of food imports and exports, including import dependence, changing sources of food and trade in less healthy products.
“Imports are a major source of food in many Pacific countries, so trade data are essential,” Dr Sharp said. “But food supply also includes what countries produce themselves. To understand diets, we need to look further again at consumption, affordability and nutrition.
“The next step is to make those connections more clearly, so decision-makers are not looking at isolated tables but at evidence that reflects how different elements of the food system interact.”
A Pacific partnership
SPC, WorldFish and ANCORS have worked together for several years on food systems research and data. Dr Hampus Eriksson said that WorldFish’s science is supporting greater coherence to how we think about food systems and offering novel opportunities for comparisons and learning.
“By looking at food systems across Pacific Islands together, we can compare, contrast and learn from both common patterns and different experiences,” Dr Eriksson said.
New investment could make the greatest contribution when it reinforced the research and development systems already serving Pacific governments and communities, he says.
“Useful evidence comes from long-term relationships, shared priorities and research connected to the institutions already serving Pacific communities. This partnership combines SPC’s regional mandate and data systems with the research expertise of WorldFish and ANCORS.”
The work begun in Suva will guide the partners’ work over the coming years, led by Pacific Island countries and territories with SPC, other regional organisations and development partners.
For Dr Sharp, the measure of success will be food systems evidence used for decision-making.
“Pacific food systems are already changing, with consequences for people’s health, livelihoods and national economies,” Dr Sharp said.
“We have a great deal of relevant information, but it does not yet come together as well as it could. The aim is to make that evidence easier to find, easier to connect and, most importantly, easier for Pacific decision-makers to use.” …PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Growing new roots: atoll communities pair opportunity crops with traditional foods in the Marshall Islands
MAJURO, 12 NOVEMBER 2026 (SPC)—In the Marshall Islands, food has always been about more than what is on the plate.
Breadfruit, pandanus, coconut and taro have sustained atoll families for generations, and the knowledge of how to grow them in sandy soils has been passed from parents to children.
As climate change brings more variable rainfall, longer dry spells and rising pressure on these fragile soils, communities are looking for ways to protect that heritage while growing the foods that will feed the next generation.
That spirit filled Majuro this past October as the Pacific Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (PACS) programme, led by the Pacific Community (SPC), joined partners to co-facilitate the Atoll Food Summit II. The summit was held alongside World Food Day and the Bob Festival, a celebration of pandanus, one of the islands’ most treasured traditional foods.
It brought together government leaders, farmers, schools, researchers and community members around a shared question: how can atoll communities keep feeding themselves, and keep their food traditions alive, in a changing climate?
Opening the PACS workshop on Tuesday 13 October, as part of the summit programme, Maria Smith, Second Secretary at the Australian Embassy in Majuro, reminded participants that resilience begins in the ground beneath their feet.
“Growing nutritious food starts with soil, which has additional challenges on atolls, and increasingly needs to address climate risks, such as the impacts of the forecast ‘super El Niño’.”
For many at the summit, the most memorable moments came at the tasting table during the World Food Day event on Friday 16 October. Nei Naisher, Mayor of Jabat Island, tried cassava for the first time.
“This is the first time I’m tasting tapioka (cassava), and it tastes very good. It’s a bit soft like breadfruit, and I love breadfruit!”
That connection to breadfruit, a food at the heart of Marshallese life, captures what PACS hopes to achieve: nutritious opportunity crops that grow well in atoll conditions and feel at home alongside traditional foods. Moved by that first taste, the mayor is taking potted cassava cuttings back to Jabat, planting the roots of a new food story for the atoll’s families.
Farrah Muller, Miss Marshall Islands 2026, also tasted cassava and sweet potato for the first time. “They both taste very good,” she said. She spoke warmly of the partnership between PACS, government agencies and local farmers to bring more nutritious, locally grown food to Marshallese households.
Stephen Patrick, a farmer with the Majuro Farmers Association who recently attended the Global Breadfruit Summit in Hawaii in September, put the challenge plainly: “I love breadfruit, but there is a lot of effort involved in harvesting and preparing for the family, as compared to rice that is easy to get from the shop.”
For PACS, this points to the need for innovation in how opportunity crops are produced, processed and sold. For example, frozen, peeled cassava that is affordable, easy to find and ready to cook, so that more families can make these foods part of their everyday meals.
Four opportunity crops have been selected by RMI for the pilot phase of PACS: sweet potato, cassava, taro and mango. Sweet potato, cassava and taro offer both energy-rich tubers and edible green leaves, which are important protective foods for nutrition and health in a country where most adults eat fewer than five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Working through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Commerce (MNRC), PACS will profile these crops from planting to consumption and support the introduction and evaluation of new varieties. This means testing how well they grow in local conditions, and whether communities enjoy them and want them on their tables. Where feasible, the crops may open new market opportunities for local growers.
PACS remains committed to walking alongside Pacific governments and communities, honouring the food knowledge they already hold while helping them adapt to the challenges ahead. Together, we are building food systems that are resilient, nourishing and rooted in Pacific identity.
The Pacific Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (PACS) is implemented by the Pacific Community (SPC) and supported by the Australian Government. PACS works with Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and the Republic of the Marshall Islands to build climate-resilient food systems based on diverse, nutritious and climate-adapted crops grown in healthy soils…. PACNEWS
