Civil society representatives from across the Pacific have gathered in Tuvalu to develop a stronger collective voice on climate change ahead of Pre-COP31 and the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31).
The Pacific Civil Society Dialogue on Climate Change, held in Funafuti, brings together communities, youth, women, faith-based organizations, traditional leaders and civil society networks to consolidate regional priorities and ensure their perspectives inform the Pacific's climate agenda.
Opening the dialogue, Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Penitala Teo said climate policy must be shaped by people experiencing its impacts.
“Climate actions must be shaped and influenced by the people who live with their consequences every day. And that is why this dialogue matters,” Teo said.
He said climate action should be a shared responsibility, with civil society and other non-state actors contributing practical solutions and helping translate commitments by Pacific leaders into action.
United Nations Resident Coordinator Dirk Wagener said Pacific civil society has an important role in keeping the region's lived experiences at the center of global climate negotiations.
“The Pacific is not asking the world to save it. The Pacific is asking the world to honor its commitments, to listen to those already living with the consequences of climate change, and to act with the urgency that this moment demands,” Wagener said.
The dialogue is focused on building a unified regional civil society position ahead of Pre-COP31 and COP31, including priorities around limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the ocean-climate nexus, accessible climate finance and people-centered climate action.
Organizers said Pacific leaders have already established the region's key climate priorities, while the dialogue provides civil society with an opportunity to strengthen and broaden that agenda by bringing community-level experiences into international discussions.
The gathering reinforces the call for Pacific communities to have a direct role in shaping decisions that will affect the region's future as climate impacts intensify.
