The Pacific Islands Forum brought out its collective voice in the opening days of the UN climate summit, to ask countries for action rather than more promises.
The Forum is reaffirming its long-standing climate leadership at COP31, being held from 9 to 20 November 2026. It is calling for greater global ambition and a decisive shift from commitments to action, backed by the resources, implementation and accountability needed to deliver results.
The message was carried to the conference floor by Forum Chair and Palau President, Surangel Whipps. He delivered the Forum Secretariat’s statement in Antalya and said Pacific communities are already feeling climate impacts on their homes, coastlines and marine resources.
https://t.co/m1hFINxuGz
— Pacific Islands Forum (@ForumSEC) November 12, 2026
Pacific leaders say they have already set out their own direction. The Forum points to the 2019 Kainaki II Declaration, endorsed 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 a sustained call for urgent global action, stronger ocean protection and accessible climate finance. Whipps said the Belau Declaration gave the region a clear direction and that the international community is expected to match it with meaningful action.
The Pacific Pre-COP in Fiji ended with a declaration calling for stronger action to keep 1.5°C within reach, better access to climate finance and a bigger place for the ocean-climate link in negotiations.
Fiji’s climate minister, Lynda Tabuya, said that meeting had turned Pacific priorities into concrete commitments, including millions of dollars for resilience, renewable energy and infrastructure.
Read More: UN Secretary General Presses COP31 Hosts to Turn Fossil Fuel Pledges in Action
Tabuya reinforced the point in Antalya. At the opening of the Moana Pavilion and Pacific Delegation Office, she urged Pacific delegates to push for stronger action and faster access to finance.
She said climate change is already threatening Pacific homes, food security and livelihoods, and wanted international commitments to become practical support on the ground.
Concern about unmet pledges runs through the region’s recent messaging. The Green Climate Fund’s chief told the Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Palau that the next phase of climate action must be judged on implementation, asking where the promised funding is.
For island states facing rising seas, the Forum’s message at COP31 is that the time for pledges has passed and the test now is whether the money and emissions cuts arrive.
