Opinion by Sefanaia Nawadra
The festive season gave us all a chance to recuperate and rest but 2026 is here and it’s going to be full-on year where we will need to fire on all cylinders to meet our calling to support our Members’ needs and aspirations towards a safer Pacific environment, writes SPREP’s Director General, Sefanaia Nawadra:
Ni sa bula vinaka!
The festive season gave us a chance to catch our breath, spend quality time with our families and loved ones so that we are re-energised and re-vitalised.
We, at SPREP, decided to close office for a bit of an extended period to not only to allow many to go home but also contractors to do some outstanding maintenance and improvements to our existing facilities. We are back at all our SPREP locations across the Pacific knowing 2026 is going to be another full-on year, and we will need to fire on all cylinders to meet our calling to support our members’ needs and aspirations towards a safer Pacific environment.
Our work to cushion our Pacific communities against the impacts of the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and waste and pollution remains at the forefront of everything we do. As Pacific people, we fully understand the severity of the challenges and SPREP is actively engaged on several fronts to ensure a resilient Pacific environment, sustaining our livelihoods and natural heritage in harmony with our cultures.
The announcement by the United States (U.S) of its withdrawal from SPREP, being one of 66 international bodies deemed to be “contrary to U.S national interests” is an early challenge for the year. A lot of questions were asked about the implications, especially in the face of a fiercely contested region, geopolitically. The biggest potential loss for us, apart from the political presence of the U.S as valued member, are the many strong working relationships we have built with U.S technical agencies and organisations
We respect the sovereignty of the United States in making this decision, but I am comforted that all our actions have been within the mandate given to us by our members. Our Pacific leaders have repeatedly stated that climate change represents the single greatest threat to our people, threatening livelihoods, security, and our very existence, we as a region remain in a state of climate emergency. SPREP will continue to advocate strongly and unceasingly for all countries to rally together and deepen their commitments under the Paris Agreement to ensure we are at the forefront of critical efforts to keep 1.5 to stay alive.
The climate change priorities of our member countries in the Pacific will continue to be a central focus of SPREP’s work. We applaud Australia and the Pacific Small Island Developing States together with New Zealand for our strong bid to host COP 31. In a perfect world and with fair governance we would have had the privilege of hosting here in the Pacific for the first time, but COP 30 decided otherwise, and we will support the journey to Turkiye. We are excited by the opportunities provided to the Pacific for hosting the pre-COP and the role of Australia as “President of Negotiations.” We will be doing all we can to ensure that COP 31 is the “Pacific COP” hosted in Turkiye.
A victory is the entry into force of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea following years of negotiations, it is a welcome positive outcome for Pacific ‘s continued global leadership on ocean and marine conservation. The BBNJ Agreement is an opportunity to extend our wise stewardship beyond our EEZs, in particular within the international water pockets between Pacific EEZs and into the areas surrounding our collective EEZs. It is also an opportunity to link our large marine protected areas and fisheries management areas into corridors that can better conserve and manage migratory species and meet our 30X30 commitments.
As part of our ongoing work, I was in the Kingdom of Tonga in January at the invitation of the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment and Climate Change (MEIDECC) and privileged to meet with Tonga’s Honourable Prime Minister, Lord Fakafanua who is also Minister for MEIDECC and His Royal Highness, The Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala as the Foreign Minister. It was an opportunity to offer our congratulations for a new government in Tonga, learn their strategic aspirations and reassure of SPREP’s ongoing support to the Kingdom as a valued member country.
Tonga, like all Pacific countries, face an uphill battle to overcome the impacts of the triple planetary crises but despite the uncertainties and ongoing challenges, it is also an exciting time. We must never stop striving and we must always hold on to hope that things will become better. Our Pacific people are communities of faith. We do not just operate based on what we see, rather we walk using our eyes of faith through our belief in the God Almighty enabling us to look beyond the challenges and the obstacles; to see the Pacific we all want and need.
I am certain that our workload in the next 11 months will continue to get busier and heavier. SPREP’s support for the Pacific’s engagement in the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements as well as ongoing negotiations on a global treaty on the whole lifecycle of plastics form a big part of our work this year, but together with our valued Members, development partners, donors, our CROP family, and all stakeholders, I am positive we can rise to the challenge to make a tangible difference in the protection of the environment, our people and the Pacific communities we exist to serve.
