The Pacific COP31 Envoys, endorsed by the Pacific Climate Change Ministers, have now been formally appointed through a joint letter from the COP31 President-Designate and President of Negotiations.
The Pacific COP31 Envoys are Kristina Eonemto Stege from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Envoy for Oceania focusing on keeping 1.5 within reach; Ruel Yamuna from Papua New Guinea, the Envoy for Access to Climate Finance; and Inia Seruiratu MP from Fiji, the Envoy for the Ocean.
The envoys will elevate Pacific climate leadership globally – driving stronger support from governments, international organisations, and non-state actors. Backed by the COP31 Australia-Pacific partnership, the Envoys reflect strong regional ownership and will work closely with Türkiye as host of COP31 to deliver an outcomes-focused COP, based on consultation, mutual respect and shared responsibility.
“Australia is proud to partner with Pacific nations to appoint these three Pacific Climate Envoys,” said Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen MP.
“The climate envoys will be strong advocates for the Pacific on the global stage.”
“Their leadership and expertise will help shape the global response to climate change, and to protect the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the people of the Pacific.”
“COP31 is working to elevate regional voices, leveraging our solidarity to shape the global climate agenda. We are stronger together”
Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Divavesi Waqa highlighted the significance of the upcoming climate negotiations.
“Pre-COP and COP31 provide a critical and unprecedented opportunity for the Blue Pacific to strategically advance this agenda,” said Secretary General Waqa.
“Through the Pacific’s role in hosting pre-COP and helping to shape the COP31 process, we have a unique platform to ensure that our priorities are not only present but clearly heard and reflected in global outcomes.”
“Our Pacific climate envoys carry more than a title, they carry the voices, values, and lived realities of our Blue Pacific. Having strong Pacific Envoys advocating for our people is essential for ensuring our Pacific priorities remain central to global climate action,” said Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
The envoys will actively engage in pre-COP31 meetings scheduled to be held in Fiji and Tuvalu and will continue their advocacy throughout the COP31 negotiations in Antalya, Türkiye.
Their appointments reflect a shared regional commitment to ambitious and equitable climate action, while ensuring that Pacific perspectives help shape decisions on adaptation, resilience, loss and damage, ocean protection, and climate finance.
COP31 represents a landmark arrangement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), bringing together a unique Türkiye–Australia partnership that places the Pacific at the centre of global climate engagement. Under this framework, Türkiye will hold the COP31 Presidency, Australia will serve as President of Negotiations, and the Pacific will host the pre-COP31 meetings.
As the world prepares for a pivotal round of climate negotiations, the Pacific COP31 Envoys will help ensure that the region’s priorities, challenges, and solutions continue to influence global action on the climate crisis.
*Kristina Eonemto Stege, a globally respected climate negotiator and current Climate Envoy of the Republic of the Marshall Islands’, will lead regional efforts to rally ambition and safeguard the 1.5°C temperature goal. She brings decades of experience in international climate diplomacy, including leadership roles with the High Ambition Coalition.
*Ruel Yamuna, Papua New Guinea’s Special Envoy for Climate and Environment and an Alternate Board Member of the Green Climate Fund, will focus on unlocking climate finance for Pacific countries. His role will prioritise improving access to finance, strengthening the voice of Pacific nations within multilateral climate funds, and ensuring funding reaches communities most vulnerable to climate impacts.
*Inia Seruiratu MP, previously a Global Climate Champion and senior Fijian leader, will serve as the Envoy for the Ocean. Drawing on extensive experience in climate policy, disaster risk management and ocean stewardship, he will champion the Pacific’s interests in safeguarding ocean health, supporting coastal resilience, and advancing ocean based climate solutions.
The Secretariat for the Pacific Senior Officials Taskforce under the COP31 Australia-Pacific partnership is comprised of the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, and the Government of Australia.
