Pacific climate diplomacy
When a scientific consensus on the matter emerged in the late 1980s, Pacific island countries came to understand climate change as a key threat to their survival. Since then, island governments have pursued collective diplomacy to try to shape global cooperation to tackle the issue.
Island states have aggregated their positions and issued political statements on what they want from the international community. These statements have also guided Pacific participation in international climate negotiations. Regional positions have often been articulated in Communiques issued from the annual Pacific leaders’ meetings.
This timeline charts the trajectory from 2015, with reference to how Pacific island countries have engaged with global climate diplomacy and politics. It also documents the significant announcements, declarations and statements that have articulated Pacific positions.
The timeline focuses on how Pacific countries have exercised collective diplomacy and action, including at the sub-regional level.
Taputapuatea Declaration on Climate Change
2015 | Polynesian Leaders’ Group
The Polynesian Leaders’ Group climate declaration has an emphasis on what Polynesian countries want from the 2015 Paris Agreement. Specifically, it calls for the Paris Agreement to limit warming to below 1.5 degrees.
Suva Declaration on Climate Change
2015 | Pacific Islands Development Forum
Emphasis on what Pacific countries want from the 2015 Paris Agreement. Issued a week before the Pacific Islands Forum. Calls for: “the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement to limit global average temperature increase to below 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels in order to transition towards deep-decarbonization” Also, calls for: “a new global dialogue on the implementation of an international moratorium on the development and expansion of fossil fuel extracting industries, particularly the construction of new coal mines, as an urgent step towards decarbonising the global economy”
Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Declaration on Climate Change Action
2015 | Pacific Islands Forum
Emphasis on what Pacific countries want from the 2015 Paris Agreement. Does not call for Paris Agreement to limit warming to 1.5 degrees.
Formation of High Ambition Coalition
2015 | Republic of the Marshall Islands
Formed in the lead up to COP21 to work together and across traditional negotiating blocs to secure key components of the Paris Agreement.
Paris Agreement
2015 | COP21 Paris
Opened for signature on 22 April 2016 (Earth Day) and entered into force on 4 November 2016. Of the 197 Parties to the Convention, 191 are signatories to the Paris Agreement.
Pacific Islands Forum Communique
2016 | Pacific Islands Forum
Leaders reiterated the importance of the Pacific Islands Forum, endorsed the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP), welcomed the previous year's Dubai Pathway on Hydrofluorocarbons (HCF) and highlighted the progress made to date.
Pacific Islands Forum Communique
2017 | Pacific Islands Forum
Leaders reaffirmed their call for the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP)to be fully elaborated to reflect the outcomes of the Paris Agreement and acknowledged Fiji's five key priorities for the COP23 presidency, namely: (i) facilitative dialogue' (ii) implementation guidelines and the Paris Agreement Rule Book; (iii) gender, local communities and indigenous peoples' platform; (iv) adaptation and loss and damage; and (v) oceans pathway through 2020 that strengthens the ocean-climate change nexus.
2018 Climate Vulnerable Forum Virtual Summit
2018 | Climate Vulnerable Forum
President Hilda Heine of Republic of Marshall Islands invites global leaders to a virtual summit as Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum.
Boe Declaration on Regional Security
2018 | Pacific Islands Forum
The Boe Declaration recognises an expanded concept of security, including human, cyber and environmental security, and frames regional responses to emerging security issues.
Nadi Bay Declaration on the Climate Change Crisis in the Pacific
2019 | Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF)
The Nadi Bay Declaration called on all coal producers to immediately cease any new mining of coal and develop a strategy for a decadal phase-out and closure of all existing coal production. It also called for relevant parties to the Kyoto Protocol to refrain from using ‘carryover credits’ as an abatement for the additional Paris Agreement emissions reduction targets.
Tuvalu Declaration on Climate Change for the Survival of P-SIDS
2019 | Pacific Small Island Developing States
The Tuvalu Declaration affirms the United Nations Secretary-General’s call for an immediate ban on the construction of new coal-fired power plants and coal mines and calls on all countries to rapidly phase out their use of coal in the power sector. Other highlights include calls for a prompt, ambitious and successful replenishment of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and in particular increase the amount and effectiveness of climate change finance to support P-SIDS and for the GCF to simplify its procedures to facilitate easier access and disbursement for P-SIDS.
UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit 2019
2019 | United Nations
The Climate Action Summit reinforced 1.5°C as the socially, economically, politically and scientifically safe limit to global warming by the end of this century, and net zero emissions by 2050 as the global long-term climate objective for all. Countries need to urgently accelerate work to define what this entails for the short-term (2020) and mid-term (2030) commitments that will be captured in their Nationally Determined Contributions and ensure the alignment of strategies to meet those commitments.
Kainaki II Declaration for Urgent Climate Change Now
Securing the Future of our Blue Pacific
2020 | Pacific Islands Forum
Pacific Leaders make 10 calls, including: (I) As we approach the 2020 milestone, all parties to the Paris Agreement to meet or exceed their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in order to pursue global efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, recognising that this is critical to the security of our Blue Pacific. For those that are not a Party to the Paris Agreement, we believe they should take similar steps to pursue efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels; (ii) All Paris Agreement parties to meet/exceed their nationally determined contributions to pursue a goal of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. (iii) All Paris Agreement parties to formulate and communicate mid-century long-term low greenhouse gas emissions development strategies by 2020.
Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Ocean Statement 2021
2021 | Pacific Islands Forum
Topics addressed include: recommitting to our regional ocean policies; ocean advocacy and engagement; biodiversity; urgent climate action; securing the Blue Pacific; conservation and sustainable management of the ocean and its resources; maritime connectivity and renewable energy; combatting marine pollution; access to development finance and blue recovery.
P-SIDS Dialogue on Access to Finance
2021 | Pacific Small Island Developing States
The dialogue will feed Pacific views and recommendations into the second P-SIDS Access to Finance Roundtable in London scheduled for September 2021 which will result in a Co-Chairs Call for Action.
51st Pacific Islands Forum Communiqué
2021 | Pacific Island Forum
The communiqué specifically addresses PIF priorities ahead of the COP26 meeting. They endorsed the region’s key messages including a reaffirmation that climate change is the single greatest threat that PIF members face. Leaders called on global emitters to commit to ‘stronger climate action’. They urged all leaders to use COP26 to ensure that the Paris Rulebook is finalised and reiterated the call contained in the Kainaki II declaration that commitments to climate finance must be met.
Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-Related Sea-Level Rise
2021 | Pacific Island Forum
Released further to a meeting of Pacific Islands Forum Leaders held in August 2021. The Declaration seeks to overcome a gap in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which did not envisage the impact of climate-change sea-level rise on maritime zones. Member states have declared that they will register their maritime zones with the UN and consider them to be fixed notwithstanding future impacts of climate-change related sea-level rise (including total inundation).
Come with commitments: Forum Chair statement on IPCC report
2021 | Pacific Island Forum
The Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum called on all leaders to work to keep the ambition of the Paris agreement to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees alive. He called on all Forum members to work as a collective to demand global action. He called for those who come to Glasgow to come with commitments to reduce emissions by 50% or more by 2030 and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
CVF Pacific Regional Communiqué
2021 | Climate Vulnerable Forum
Released further to a regional meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum attended by 8 Pacific governments. Endorsed 16 recommendations. Supported CVF COP26 priorities in relation to: climate finance (including additional pledges); greater ambition from large emitters; carbon markets.
Leaders’ Declaration Japan-PALM 9
2021 | Pacific Island Forum
Priority Area of Cooperation 3 is “Climate Change and Disaster Resilience”
Final Declaration of the 5th France-Oceania Summit
2021 | Pacific Islands Forum
Calls for greater action on the part of all Parties to update and communicate renewed NDCs and long-term strategies to maximise efforts to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Also renews call for more and better climate finance for developing countries.
Naoero Communiqué
2021 | Micronesian Presidents’ Summit
The Micronesian President’ Summit: expressed grave concerns with the recent IPCC Report; reaffirmed their international commitments to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and to consider a carbon neutrality in shipping through an equitable Greenhouse Gas transition to zero emissions no later than 2050; and expressed appreciation and reaffirmed support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands for the on-going efforts at the Human Rights Council, towards the creation of a Special Procedure mandate holder on human rights and climate change.
Media Release: PIF leaders meet with UN Secretary General
2021 | Pacific Islands Forum
PIF leaders met in a virtual forum with UNSG Antonio Guterres on the margins of the 76th UN General Assembly.
Fact Sheet: Pacific COP26 Political Climate Champions
2021 | Pacific Islands Forum
At their 51st meeting in August 2021, Pacific Islands Forum Leaders endorsed strong political advocacy and engagement at COP 26 including the appointment of Pacific COP 26 Political Climate Champions.
Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change
2021 | United Nations Human Rights Council
The resolution for this mandate was put forward by a group of eight members, including Fiji and Marshall Islands.