RELEASE: Pacific Political Champions Call For Less Talk and More Action at COP 31

14 November 2026

Antalya, Türkiye: The Pacific Political Champions on Climate have reinforced the Pacific’s call for urgent, tangible climate action at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), stressing the need for global commitments to deliver meaningful outcomes for Pacific communities.

At a roundtable at the Australian Pavilion, the Champions urged the international community to move beyond prolonged negotiations and deliver action that matches the climate crisis facing the Pacific. 

Despite contributing least to global emissions, Pacific Island countries on the frontline bear disproportionate impacts of a crisis they did little to create.

Keeping the 1.5°C  limit within reach, securing accessible, grant-based climate finance, strengthening community resilience and advancing the Ocean–Climate Nexus remain central Pacific priorities. 

 The Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), a Pacific-led and owned financing facility, was highlighted as a key regional mechanism to support communities responding to climate impacts.

“What began at COP26 as an innovative Pacific initiative has evolved into a valuable mechanism for elevating Pacific priorities beyond the negotiating rooms and into the political spaces where critical decisions are shaped. Our Champions embody the collective voice of the Blue Pacific,” said Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Baron Divavesi Waqa.

The Champions brought perspectives on mitigation, gender equality and social inclusion, adaptation, oceans, and loss and damage, underscoring the interconnected nature of the crisis and the need for outcomes that reflect the Pacific’s lived realities.

Pacific Political Champion for Mitigation, Hon. Dr Maina Talia, Tuvalu’s Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment, reflected on his experience from ten COPs, emphasising the frustration of repeatedly advocating the same fundamental climate commitments.

“1.5 degrees Celsius is the same song we have been singing since Paris. When we come to COP, we should not feel complacent that we are here. We should be frustrated. This is a frustrating process where we come to tell the world that we are sinking,” said Hon. Talia.

Political Champion for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Hon. Ruth Kwansing, Kiribati’s Minister of Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs, called for COP31 to deliver outcomes that leave no one behind.

“Mainstreaming gender in the negotiating rooms and putting finance directly into the hands of women-led organisations and groups is essential so that our children, youth and persons with disabilities have a secure future on the familiar shores of their ancestors,” said Hon. Kwansing.

Political Champion for Adaptation, Hon. Jess Gasper Jr., the Republic of the Marshall Islands’ Minister in Assistance to the President and Environment, drew on his experience as someone from Bikini Island, whose community cannot return home because of the effects of nuclear testing, to highlight the human consequences of displacement and growing climate risks.

“When I talk about displacement, I am talking about something personal to me, and we are heading in that direction with this climate injustice. Overshooting the 1.5-degree limit increases our needs and costs, and leads to greater loss and damage. We must urgently limit the magnitude and duration of that overshoot. We need to agree on a credible pathway to at least triple adaptation by 2035,” said Hon. Gasper.

Oceans Political Champion, Minister Mona Ainu’u, Niue’s Special Envoy to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, stressed the need to fully integrate ocean considerations across COP31 negotiations and outcomes.

“The ocean dialogue has shown us multiple times how the ocean and climate change intersect with various issues. Sea-level rise is impacting us, our food security is being threatened because the sea is warming, and we are experiencing coral bleaching and ocean acidification,” said Minister Ainu’u.

Political Champion for Loss and Damage, Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni, Tonga’s Minister of Public Enterprises and Health, highlighted the inequity of Pacific communities facing escalating impacts while major emitters continue to benefit from activities contributing to global warming.

“This COP must result in action-oriented solutions that enhance the Pacific’s ability to access sustainable, grant-based funding for loss and damage. Loss and damage financing is not a form of charity. It remains an issue of climate justice,” said Hon. Sovaleni.

Established in 2021, the Pacific Political Climate Champions initiative elevates Pacific priorities and strengthens political-level advocacy within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process.

The initiative keeps the unique vulnerabilities and priorities of Pacific Island countries central to global climate discussions. The current cohort  will conclude its two-year term following COP31.

[ENDS]

Notes to Editors

The current Political Climate Champions attending COP31 include:

Climate Finance: Hon. Lynda Tabuya, Minister of Information, Environment and Climate Change (Fiji)

Ocean-Climate Nexus: Hon. Mona Ainu’u, Special Envoy to the Prime Ministers for Climate Change (Niue)

Loss & Damage: Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni Hu’akavameiliku, Minister of Public Enterprises and Health (Tonga)

Just Transition: Hon. Ralph Regenvanu, Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology and Geo-Hazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management (Vanuatu)

Mitigation: Hon. Maina Talia, Minister of Home Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment (Tuvalu)

Adaptation: Hon. Jess Gasper Jr, Minister in Assistance to the President and Environment (Republic of the Marshall Islands)

Gender & Social Inclusion: Hon. Ruth Cross Kwansing, Minister of Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs (Kiribati)