In solidarity for a green world,” reads the theme of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
But as world leaders gather at the Nizami Hall for the High-Level segment of the conference, Prime Minister of Niue, Dalton Tagelagi, has called for a self-inventory of their commitment to resolve the climate crisis, considered the greatest threat of modern time.
“As we gather to confront climate change together, we must ask: Are we truly standing united, with unwavering commitment, to address the shared crisis impacting islands, territories, and continents alike?” asked Prime Minister Tagelagi when he took climate change’s biggest global stage.
The Niue Prime Minister is amongst world leaders in Baku for the COP29 Climate Action Summit, calling for immediate steps to cut emissions to safeguard people from climate chaos.
“The goal of staying below 1.5 degrees is slipping from our grasp. Niue, though one of the world’s smallest emitters, bears some of the harshest consequences,” said Tagelagi.
Niue, a nation with a population of less than 2,000 people and a total share of zero greenhouse gas emissions, is already battered by the impacts of climate change.
Rising sea level poses a massive threat to Niue’s underground freshwater supplies. Climate change is also threatening food security and its marine life, a resource the country depends upon to sustain its people and their way of life. These impacts, on top extreme weather events like cyclones, threaten the country’s survival and resilience.
“We must work together to preserve our planet for future generations,” Niue’s Prime Minister urged COP29, adding that the 2023 IPCC Synthesis Report, while stark, offers hope if we act with urgency. “The report projects that US$127 billion will be needed annually by 2030 for adaptation in developing nations. However, adaptation financing remains below half of this need, currently under US$50 billion,” he said.
Niue, and the One Pacific Voice at COP29, have clearly articulated that a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on Climate Finance, a key issue in Baku, should be easily accessible by Pacific countries to meet their needs across the board and climate financing aspirations.
“Developed nations must finalise the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance, dedicating at least 50 percent to adaptation, and fully support and fund the Loss and Damage Fund established at COP27, as a matter of justice for the communities already enduring the worst impacts of climate change and request urgent, simplified, and additional funding for Small Island Developing States (SIDS),” said Prime Minister Tagelagi.
“We call on multilateral climate funds to streamline access processes, making them efficient and accessible for the most vulnerable countries. For the Pacific and other at-risk regions, accessible finance is not optional—it is essential to ensure timely and reliable support for our people and ecosystems.
“Effective climate funding requires strengthened capacities within our nations. If the US$100 billion annual climate finance target is realised, with 5 percent allocated to the Pacific, we will need the capacity to effectively manage and implement this support. Pacific Island countries face an increasingly urgent need for adaptation finance as climate impacts deepen.”
Although Niue’s emissions are negligible, Prime Minister Tagelagi said his country remains committed to its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans.
“To achieve these, access to the right technologies and resources is essential, as is the financing to implement them. Capacity building will empower us not only to meet climate goals but to access finance effectively.”
Prime Minister Tagelagi called on world leaders to unite in solidarity at this COP and beyond to foster collective action toward true climate resilience.
