Excellencies, Heads of State and Government; the Prime Minister of Tuvalu; Prime Minister Albanese; Minister Kurum, COP31 President-designate; the UN Deputy Secretary-General; Ministers; Heads of Delegation; Heads of Multilateral Funds; UNFCCC observer constituencies; ladies and gentlemen, [ Fellow Co-Chair]
Bula vinaka, and welcome back to Fiji.
Many of you have come directly from Tuvalu. I want to thank the Prime Minister and the people of Tuvalu for opening their shores to the world. They asked only that you look and that you listen. That is a great deal to ask, and a great gift to give.
My thanks also to Australia, our partner in hosting and President of Negotiations, and to Türkiye, host of COP31 in Antalya, now just weeks away.
This plenary will help set the direction for the week. Ministers begin their work tomorrow, and what leaders say in this room tonight will shape their conversations, and those of the negotiators who follow them to Antalya. So, I will be brief, and I will be plain.
We are here to reflect on our shared objectives, on the messages and experiences we carry from Funafuti, and on the substance of the Taku Pakasoa Declaration.
[Placeholder for further messaging on the Taku Pakasoa Declaration, based on the status of agreement]
Excellencies, we do not lack knowledge or understanding of the risks. The science has been clear for decades. We do not lack solutions. The technology we need for the transition and for building resilience is cheaper and more readily available than ever before. We do not lack clarity on our roles and obligations. The International Court of Justice has been clear on the legal obligations and respective responsibilities of all States. What we lack is delivery, and the shared effort to close the gap between what we know and what we do. Closing that gap is what leaders are for. It is what we are here for, and it is what the world expects all Parties to deliver in Antalya.
So, tonight, I ask for three signals.
First, a signal on 1.5. Say clearly that it stays within reach, and that any overshoot will be limited. That means faster cuts in this decade and a credible path away from fossil fuels.
Second, a signal that finance will reach those who need it. On Thursday, ministers will be invited to endorse the Statement and Action Plan on Access to Finance for Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries. I encourage every leader here to support this plan and the commitments it carries.
Third, a signal that the ocean belongs at the centre of the climate regime. It regulates our climate, it sustains our people, and it is already paying the price. Thursday’s session on the ocean–climate nexus is a chance to move it from the margins of this process to its heart.
And let me be clear: the Pacific does not come only to make asks. Tomorrow, Pacific leaders will share our renewable energy vision and demonstrate our financial solutions. We intend to be part of the solution, as a region and as the voice of the world’s largest ocean. We aim to create islands of innovation, to demonstrate and scale up solutions, and to move beyond being seen as the region where only the problem is measured.
Last night, I spoke of the duty of care that binds host and guest. Tonight, I would add that the same duty binds all of us to people who are not in this room: the communities on the most exposed shores, and the generations who will inherit what we decide this week.
Let us show the world that multilateralism can rise to this challenge, that climate injustice and harm will be addressed, and that when we come together, listen and engage, action follows.
Vinaka vakalevu.