By Sera Tikotikovatu – Sefeti
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern has called for a Pacific COP.
And she has tied the Pacific to Australia’s bid to host the next COP summit.
“I feel deeply, as do many in this room, that it is time for a Pacific COP,” Ardern said during discussions on the sidelines of COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Amid the anticipation over which nation will host the next COP, Ardern acknowledged the diplomatic complexities of the decision.
“Obviously, there is another nation who wishes to host, and when that is between two parties, it does become a complex diplomatic situation. But in my role as Special Envoy for Oceania, I’m doing everything I can to support Australia and the Pacific in their diplomatic endeavours.”
Ardern – Special Envoy for Oceania, Dame Jacinda Ardern – revealed that Australia, in partnership with the Pacific, has presented a compelling proposal to host COP31.
She said the bid had been well received and supported by many in the COP community.
“If you have any connection to anyone who has some powers of persuasion to the other party who wishes to host, please have those conversations,’’ Ardern said.
“It is time for the region — because it is an opportunity to showcase the innovation that meets the immediate impacts of climate change. There is nothing quite like being in the region. It is also time for the Pacific not to have to travel four days to bring and showcase their views, their communities, and their voice.”
For Ardern, working alongside Pacific leaders at COP has stirred what she described as two competing emotions.
“On the one hand, it’s incredibly humbling and inspiring to see the strength of the Pacific voice — the consistency, the knowledge, just how much work has continually gone into representing the Pacific here in this forum — and progress has been made over a number of years. But on the other side, so much more needs to be done.”
Ardern was invited by the COP Presidency of Brazil to take on her current role to help ensure the Pacific’s priorities were fully understood and represented. Ahead of COP30, she met with Pacific youth, leaders, and representatives — all united in their message.
“First and foremost, the importance of the international community retaining the commitment to 1.5 degrees — because more than a 1.5-degree world represents such a significant threat to the Pacific. And of course, the Pacific is the advocate taking this challenge to the ICJ. Hearing the courts reinforce the importance of 1.5 has a very strong point that the Pacific continues to raise and wants to see amplified here,” Ardern said.
“My job is to make sure I amplify them as much as possible.”
Fiji’s Minister for Environment and Climate Change Mosese Bulitavu, echoed that sentiment, describing COP30 as “a defining moment for global climate finance and ambition.”
He outlined five key priorities:
*A new collective quantified goal on climate finance,
*A shift towards decisive grant-based and highly concessional finance,
Restoring recognition of the special circumstances of small island developing states,
*Scaling finance according to urgency, and
*Strengthening SIDS representation in the governance of multilateral funds.
“Decisions that shape our future cannot be made without us,” Bulitavu urged.
“Dame Ardern, climate finance is the enabler of all climate action. We look to you, as a trusted ally and global voice of moral clarity, to help ensure that the outcomes from Belém set the right trajectory through to COP31.”
Meanwhile, Finau Soqo, General Manager of the Pacific Resilience Facility, shared her own reflection after attending an event near the Amazon forest.
“To see the forest as far as the eyes can see was something new for me,” she said.
“But I’m inviting them to our part of the world — where they can see the ocean as far as the eyes can see to the horizon — so that they can understand what we are going through,” she said.
