UN Chief to address climate crisis at Pacific Forum

UN Secretary General António Guterres is set to attend a Pacific leaders’ summit in Tonga this week, with climate change at the top of the agenda.

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), which begins on Monday, is the region’s primary political decision-making body. Leaders from the 18-member bloc, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, will gather for the annual meeting.

Climate change and rising sea levels pose significant threats to Pacific nations, which are among the world’s most vulnerable to these environmental changes.

“The fate of the Pacific depends on limiting the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” Guterres said at a press conference in Samoa on Friday.

He highlighted the disproportionate impact of climate change on the region, stating: “This region, the Pacific, contributes 0.02% of global emissions. Yet you are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, dealing with extreme weather events from raging tropical cyclones to record ocean heatwaves.”

The week-long summit will culminate in a leaders’ retreat, where key decisions are made. These may include an endorsement of a regional policing initiative promoted by Australia.

Other significant issues to be addressed include the future of New Caledonia and increased financial support for climate and disaster initiatives in the Pacific.

The meeting comes amid rising geopolitical tensions and growing competition for influence in the Pacific, bringing increased international attention to some of the world’s smallest countries.

The situation in New Caledonia is also likely to be a focus of the meeting, after the French territory was rattled by deadly violence this year over plans from Paris to expand voting rights. This week, a much anticipated high-level visit to New Caledonia by Pacific leaders was postponed, at the request of Louis Mapou, president of the New Caledonia government.

The Cook Islands prime minister, Mark Brown, who is the outgoing Pif chair, said at a recent press conference it is challenging for Pif to navigate the impacts of New Caledonia’s dual status as both a full member of the forum and a territory of France. The unrest has seen the territory added as a “standing item” to the leaders’ agenda which reflects its importance to regional leaders.

In recent years the meeting has drawn increasing interest amid a geopolitical battle for influence in the region between the US and China. As Beijing has expanded its influence in the Pacific and increased its economic and security relationships, the US has boosted its engagement on numerous fronts. Washington has promised more aid, struck security partnerships and opened new embassies. Pacific countries have seen a series of ministerial visits from the US and China, as well as new initiatives across different sectors, and a rise in defence diplomacy.

Fiji’s prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, will travel to the Pif on the heels of a visit to Beijing, where he discussed economic development and other ways to deepen ties. The leaders of Vanuatu and Solomon Islands visited China in July.

While Pif members agree on many key priorities, maintaining regional solidarity can be challenging. Last year in Cook Islands, the political divide on deep-sea mining became clear. Since then, Vanuatu has led a charge at the most recent meeting of the International Seabed Authority to prevent licences for exploitation of seabed resources being issued before environmental regulations are in place. Last year, Pacific leaders asked the forum secretariat to convening a regional talanoa (discussion) on this issue. It has yet to take place.