Tonga Government ministers will skip the COP30 climate summit in Brazil, with officials replacing them due to the forthcoming election.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for MEIDECC Dr Taniela Fusimalohi told Tonga Broadcasting that no Cabinet Minister is attending COP30 since many who are candidates are busy with their campaigns for the upcoming general elections on 20 November.
Instead, the Tongan delegation is led by Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet and former CEO for MEIDECC Paula Ma’u and includes climate-change officials ‘Aloisio Fifita, Losana Latu and Susana Liava’a from the Department of Climate Change at MEIDECC. No participants will attend from the Tonga Civil Society Forum, citing a lack of travel funds.
The decision to send senior officials rather than ministers reflects the election timetable and campaign pressures ahead of the 20 November polls.
Voters will elect representatives for the 2025 parliamentary term, and many ministers are running as candidates. With ministers engaged in campaigning, officials will handle diplomatic representation at the summit.
Tonga’s presence at COP30 in Belém, Brazil is part of the nation’s broader climate diplomacy. As a Small Island Developing State, Tonga is highly vulnerable to sea-level rise, extreme weather events and the effects of the global energy transition.
At the summit, Pacific nations are pressing for stronger climate finance, adaptation support and recognition of “loss and damage”. Media coverage notes the summit has been dubbed the “COP of truth.”
Tonga’s delegation will focus on issues of particular urgency for the Pacific, including adaptation, ocean-governance, and the Global Stocktake under the UNFCCC.
The Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications (MEIDECC), is Tonga’s key ministry responsible for international climate negotiations.
Meanwhile, Tonga has reaffirmed its strong support for the Pacific Resilience Facility at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Government emphasised its continued commitment to the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) during the Partners Roundtable Talanoa convened at the COP30 climate conference in Belém on 11 November 2025.
The event, held under the theme “Iumi Tugeda: Act Now for an Integrated Blue Pacific Continent,” brought together Pacific Island leaders and stakeholders to forge stronger collective resilience against climate threats.
Being the first Pacific island nation to ratify the PRF Treaty and the host of the PRF Secretariat, Tonga has affirmed its major role in advancing this Pacific-led climate finance initiative.
The facility, designed to address fragmented and bureaucratic international funding, has already secured around US$380 million in pledges. Targets are set at US$1.14 billion by next year and US$3.42 billion by 2030.
The PRF, established by Pacific leaders, is the region’s first member-owned and managed financing institution. It aims to mobilise accessible and sustainable funding to protect vulnerable communities from escalating climate impacts.
Originally endorsed at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, the PRF has already secured significant pledges and is set to launch its capital-raising window between 2025 and 2026.
Tonga’s presence at COP30 highlights both regional solidarity and the Kingdom’s determination to keep resilience at the heart of the Pacific’s climate and development agenda.
For Tonga, the endorsement of the PRF coincides with its recent chairmanship of the Forum, marking a milestone in the collective drive for locally driven climate action.
The Kingdom’s leadership role continues to emphasise that the Pacific must set its own agenda when it comes to climate financing and resilience.
