By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Pacific Developing Member Countries (PMDCs) have warned that limited fuel storage across the region is leaving essential services dangerously exposed, as they push for expanded and more flexible support from the Asian Development Bank.
Delivering a joint statement at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank, Tuvalu’s Finance Minister, Panapasi Nelesone said many island nations hold fuel reserves sufficient for only about a month — a vulnerability that could trigger widespread disruption amid ongoing global uncertainty.
Officials from countries including Fiji, Tuvalu and Papua New Guinea stressed that the region’s geographic isolation and heavy reliance on imported fuel leave economies acutely exposed to global shocks.
They warned that persistent volatility in global food and fuel prices, coupled with supply chain disruptions and tightening financial conditions, is rapidly eroding already fragile fiscal buffers.
“These compounding challenges are reducing governments’ ability to respond effectively while safeguarding long-term development priorities,” the PDMC statement said, pointing to risks facing critical infrastructure projects supported by ADB ad other partners.
Leaders from the 14 Pacific Developing Member Countries Pacific stressed that strengthening fiscal resilience is now “imperative,” calling for flexible, shock-responsive fiscal frameworks backed by rapid-disbursing financing instruments.
They urged the Asian Development Bank to expand contingent financing under the Pacific Disaster Resilience Programme, arguing that current mechanisms must go beyond natural disasters and health emergencies to also address broader crises such as severe food and energy shocks or major infrastructure failures.
Representatives from low-lying atoll nations, including Tuvalu, highlighted that energy security is directly tied to national survival, with disruptions capable of affecting water supply systems, transport, and health services within weeks.
The statement also stressed the urgency of accelerating the renewable energy transition, highlighting the need for stable power generation, improved transmission capacity, and stronger crisis preparedness.
“Energy access and security are vital for unlocking private investment and supporting daily livelihoods,” the Pacific group said, calling for targeted and timely economic interventions.
At the same time, countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening domestic resource mobilisation through improved tax compliance and enforcement to build more resilient economies.
While acknowledging ADB’s prompt engagement so far, Pacific nations urged the bank to maintain close monitoring of regional fuel distribution and prepare multi-layered response measures to prevent economic paralysis.
The warning comes as leaders and development partners gather in Samarkand to address growing economic pressures across Asia and the Pacific, with Pacific states cautioning that without urgent action, their vulnerability to external shocks will deepen.
