Pacific leaders are calling for stronger global climate action as the Pacific Pre-COP31 meetings move into their second day, with leaders travelling from Fiji to Tuvalu to see firsthand the impacts of rising seas and climate change.

According to a Pacific Islands Forum press release, the Pacific Pre-COP is being held from 5 to 8 October, with the Leaders’ event taking place in Fiji and Tuvalu before ministerial discussions continue in Fiji. Vanuatu is among the Pacific countries represented at the event.

The Tuvalu visit is giving leaders an opportunity to see climate adaptation projects and hear directly from communities in one of the world’s lowest-lying nations. Tuvalu’s land sits at an average of about two metres above sea level.

Leaders see climate impacts in Tuvalu

According to AAP Newsroom, on Tuesday, leaders and representatives are travelling more than 1,000 kilometres from Fiji to Tuvalu as part of the second day of the Pre-COP Leaders’ event.

Communities in Tuvalu are expected to showcase efforts to protect coastlines from rising seas, erosion and storm surges, including a project aimed at reclaiming about 20 hectares of land by the end of 2026.

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said visiting Pacific communities is important because the effects of climate change cannot always be understood from a distance.

“We ask you to come to the Pacific because some things cannot be understood from a distance.”

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a traditional welcome ceremony during the Pre-Cop31 meeting in Fiji, Monday, October 5, 2026. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also said the Pacific’s experience needs to be heard by the wider world.

“It is important that Pacific voices are heard because the Pacific is the front line of action on climate change.”

Pacific pushes to keep 1.5°C within reach

The Pacific Islands Forum says Pacific leaders are drawing on decades of climate leadership and advocacy to push for greater global ambition.

PIF Secretary General Baron Divavesi Waqa said the Pacific has played an active role in shaping the global climate conversation.

“The Pacific has never been a bystander in the global climate conversation — we have been leaders in shaping it.”

The Forum says the Pacific’s priorities include keeping 1.5°C within reach, accelerating the transition to a resilient and low-emissions future, scaling up accessible and predictable climate finance, and ensuring communities on the frontline of climate change are not left behind.

Vanuatu among countries at Pre-COP

Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat during the Pre-COP31 event.

Photo credit: Pacific Islands Forum

Vanuatu Minister of Climate Change Ralph Regenvanu participates in a Pre-COP31 meeting alongside Pacific island representatives.

Photo credit: Pacific Islands Forum

Leaders from countries including Vanuatu, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands are attending the Tuvalu event, alongside ministers and representatives from other countries and international organisations.

The Australian Government says more than 50 countries are participating in the wider Pacific Pre-COP, which is intended to lay the groundwork for negotiations at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, in November.

The Pacific Pre-COP is being co-hosted by Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu.

A focus on Pacific-led solutions

The Pacific Islands Forum says the COP31 Türkiye-Australia partnership provides an opportunity to place Small Island Developing States, particularly Pacific priorities, at the forefront of global climate discussions.

The Forum also points to the Pacific Resilience Facility and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent as examples of regional efforts to develop solutions that respond to Pacific priorities and realities.

Waqa said the region must continue moving beyond advocacy towards Pacific-led solutions.

“As we come together for the Pre-COP discussions in Fiji and Tuvalu, we carry that legacy of leadership with a clear purpose: to keep 1.5°C within reach, advance Pacific-led solutions, and ensure global climate action delivers for the communities on the frontlines of this crisis.”

From commitments to action

The Pre-COP discussions build on a series of Pacific political commitments, including the B.E.L.A.U. Declaration, through which Pacific Islands Forum Leaders called for urgent and inclusive action to keep 1.5°C within reach.

The Forum says the region’s message remains focused on stronger implementation not only commitments.

It is calling for greater climate finance, a resilient and low-emissions future, and action that ensures Pacific communities facing the impacts of climate change are not left behind.