The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is reaffirming its longstanding climate leadership at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), held from 9–20 November 2026.
The Forum is calling for greater global ambition and a decisive shift from commitments to action, supported by the resources, implementation, and accountability needed to deliver results.
The President of Palau and Pacific Islands Forum Chair, Surangel Whipps Jr, says that the Pacific arrives in Antalya with a clear mandate from Forum Leaders, set out in the Belau Declaration, and with Pacific-led solutions ready to scale.
“Our islands cannot afford another decade of promises. Every year of delay is measured in our coastlines, our reefs and our homes. In Palau, at the 55th Forum Leaders Meeting, we agreed that Pacific leadership must be shown through action, and we now ask the same of the world. The International Court of Justice has confirmed that climate obligations are binding. COP31 must be where commitments become delivery.”
President Whipps says the region has already built part of the solution.
“The Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) is Pacific-owned, treaty-backed and ready to deliver directly to our communities, but it remains more than US$300 million short of its first target. Antalya is where our partners can close that gap. We come united, and we ask the world to meet us with action.”
This leadership is reinforced by regional commitments, including the 2019 Kainaki II Declaration for Urgent Climate Change Action Now, endorsed at the 50th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tuvalu, and the Belau Declaration for Urgent and Inclusive Climate Action to Keep 1.5°C Within Reach, endorsed at the 55th Leaders Meeting in Palau.
Together, they reflect the Pacific’s sustained call for urgent global action, stronger ocean protection and accessible climate finance.
From Pre-COP meetings hosted in Fiji and Tuvalu to COP31 in Antalya, these priorities remain central: driving ambitious global emissions reductions; securing accessible, predictable and adequate climate finance; and placing ocean and community resilience at the heart of climate action.
At the Pre-COP meetings hosted in October and here at COP31, the BELAU Declaration priorities remain central: driving ambitious global emissions reductions; securing accessible, predictable and adequate climate finance; and placing ocean and community resilience at the heart of climate action.
Strong international partnerships are essential to translating these priorities into Pacific-led solutions, including through the full capitalisation of the PRF.
The Pacific Islands Forum will continue to advance a united Pacific voice at COP31, working with partners to deliver outcomes that safeguard the Blue Pacific Continent and future generations.
Central to this effort, the Pacific Political Climate Champions will continue to amplify the region’s collective voice and build momentum for greater ambition and meaningful climate action.
