Pacific Leadership Must Shape Outcomes at COP31 Pre COP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SUVA, 26 February 2026 — The Pacific Islands Climate Action Network acknowledges the announcement by the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) that Fiji will host the COP31 Pre COP meeting, with a special Leaders component in Tuvalu ahead of COP31 in Türkiye.

Reacting to the announcement by PIF Chair, PICAN Director, Dr Rufino Varea, said:

“We welcome this announcement by PIF following political consultation on the COP31 Pre-COP.

The Pacific has hosted Pre COP before. Since then, our region has experienced escalating and compounding climate impacts, and the world is now on track to overshoot the 1.5 °C survival limit. Communities across our islands are confronting deep uncertainty about when existing solutions will no longer hold.

This moment must be one where the world leans into Pacific leadership. Our countries are not only on the frontlines of climate impacts. We have consistently championed higher ambition, science-aligned targets and justice-based solutions through AOSIS and other alliances. These processes must translate political visibility into concrete outcomes that advance justice and ambition for all, while centring the lived realities of frontline communities.

As preparations move forward, there must be clarity on the role the Pacific will play in shaping the agenda and guiding outcomes within the Australia and Türkiye co-presidency. Hosting must go beyond geography and reflect meaningful leadership in substance, priorities and decision making.

Leaders who come to the Pacific must fully confront the seriousness of this crisis and act in ways that shift the trajectory at COP31. This includes a clear roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels and a course correction from previous COP outcomes where the red lines of the most impacted blocs have consistently been crossed.”

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About PICAN

PICAN is a regional alliance of 260+ non-government organisations, civil society organisations, social movements and not-for-profit organisations from the Pacific Islands region working on various aspects of climate change, disaster risk and response, and sustainable development.

Media Contact:

Dylan Kava, Strategic Communications Lead, PICAN

dylan.kava@pican.org | +679 9061989 (Manila / GMT+8)