Tonga has used its platform at the United Nations to call for reform of the international system, stronger climate action and greater access to finance and technology for Small Island Developing States.

Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua delivered Tonga’s national statement at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on 25 September, placing climate change, ocean protection and Pacific security at the centre of Tonga’s message.

Tonga wants a stronger voice in global decisions

Lord Fakafanua said the United Nations and international financial system need to better reflect the realities facing countries today.

He called for a stronger General Assembly, a more representative Security Council and an international financial system that provides timely and accessible financing to countries most in need.

For Tonga and other small island states, access to affordable finance is closely linked to the ability to respond to climate impacts and invest in resilience.

Climate and the ocean at the centre

The Prime Minister linked climate change, biodiversity and ocean protection, arguing that they cannot be addressed effectively through separate international processes.

He called for greater international support for Pacific-designed initiatives including the Pacific Resilience Facility, Weather Ready Pacific and Tonga’s Climate Trust Fund.

He also urged major emitters to attend the Pacific Pre-COP31 meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu in October. The official Pre-COP31 programme is scheduled for 5–8 October in Nadi, with a leaders’ event involving Tuvalu and Fiji on 5–6 October.

Lord Fakafanua warned that keeping the 1.5°C temperature goal within reach remains critical for Pacific communities.

“Every fraction of a degree matters,” he said.

Tonga’s ocean and energy commitments

The Prime Minister highlighted Tonga’s commitment to protect at least 30 per cent of its ocean by 2030.

He also pointed to Tonga’s renewable energy transition, including ambitions for renewable electricity to reach 70 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035.

Tonga has also announced plans to convene a Polynesian Ocean Summit in Tonga in May 2027. The summit is intended to bring governments, communities, scientists and partners together around ocean governance and marine conservation. Tonga has separately highlighted the summit as part of its wider push for Polynesian leadership on ocean issues.

Pacific as an Ocean of Peace

Tonga also reaffirmed its support for the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the Pacific’s declaration as an Ocean of Peace.

Lord Fakafanua said the Pacific should not become a staging ground for military escalation or major-power rivalry.

He identified transnational crime, illicit drugs, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, cyber threats and the unresolved consequences of nuclear testing and radioactive contamination as challenges facing the region.

On technology, he said Tonga should have a role in shaping the rules governing artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies rather than simply responding to decisions made elsewhere.

The speech places Tonga’s domestic priorities — climate resilience, ocean protection, renewable energy and access to finance — within a wider argument for greater Pacific influence over international decisions.

Tonga’s climate message will move into the Pacific Pre-COP31 process in October, ahead of COP31 in Türkiye in November.