A fire at the COP30 venue in Belém forced events to end early, but Pacific delegates say their priorities remain unchanged as global climate negotiations approach their final days.
Pacific Ocean Commissioner Dr Filimon Manoni told journalists during an online media briefing that despite the disruption, the past two weeks had been “quite a positive one” for the region.
“Today was an eventful day with the unfortunate occurrence of a fire at the COP venue, which ended all the events,” Dr Manoni said. “But the Pacific has remained strong in the negotiations, sticking to our red lines and pushing hard on the key things we came here to get.”
At the top of the region’s agenda is the fight to keep the 1.5°C limit alive.
“The 1.5 degrees target is non-negotiable,” he stressed. “The Pacific will continue to negotiate to make sure everyone is doing what they need to do to take us back to the right trajectory.”
He also highlighted the growing importance of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion on states’ climate obligations—an initiative championed by Pacific Island countries—which he described as “a huge arrow in the Pacific’s quiver” for global climate justice efforts.
Ocean issues continue to be a defining feature of the Pacific’s advocacy at COP30.
“One of the clear things the Pacific wanted to do here is to make sure that the ocean finds its rightful place in the climate negotiations,” Dr Manoni said.
While ocean discussions are currently housed within an annual dialogue process in Bonn, Pacific states are pushing for the ocean to be elevated onto the formal COP negotiation agenda.
Fiji will serve as one of two co-facilitators of the Bonn Ocean–Climate Dialogue from 2026, an opportunity Dr Manoni said the region hopes to leverage to increase the ocean’s visibility.
“There are different opportunities in how we advocate,” he said. “But the real issue is how we get ocean itself as an item on the formal agenda of COP.”
He also commended COP30 host Brazil for delivering on its promise to give the ocean greater prominence this year.
“We should be grateful to Brazil… They even appointed an ocean special envoy for the presidency to ensure they live up to the expectations,” he said.
Dr Manoni acknowledged the work of Pacific ministers and negotiators on the ground in Belém.
“They have been extremely, extremely active in the advocacy here—whether in the side events or in the negotiation rooms themselves. They deserve a lot of support from us back in the region for the work they’re doing for us,” he said.
