The Pacific COP31 Envoys, endorsed by the Pacific Climate Change Ministers, have now been formally appointed through a joint letter from the COP31 President-Designate and President of Negotiations.
The Pacific COP31 Envoys are Ms Kristina Eonemto Stege from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Envoy for Oceania focusing on keeping 1.5 within reach; Mr Ruel Yamuna from Papua New Guinea, the Envoy for Access to Climate Finance; and Honourable Inia B. Seruiratu MP from Fiji, the Envoy for the Ocean.
Supported by the Australia-Pacific partnership for COP31, these Envoys represent a powerful sense of regional leadership. They are tasked with advancing Pacific climate priorities on the global stage, mobilizing greater commitment from international bodies, national governments, and non-state entities alike. Working in coordination with Türkiye, the host of COP31, the Envoys aim to facilitate a summit centered on tangible results, built upon a foundation of mutual respect, shared duty, and inclusive consultation.
“Australia is proud to partner with Pacific nations to appoint these three Pacific Climate Envoys,” said Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Honourable Chris Bowen MP.
“The Climate Envoys will be strong advocates for the Pacific on the global stage.”
“Their leadership and expertise will help shape the global response to climate change, and to protect the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the people of the Pacific.”
“COP31 is working to elevate regional voices, leveraging our solidarity to shape the global climate agenda. We are stronger together.”
Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Divavesi Waqa highlighted the significance of the upcoming climate negotiations.
“Pre-COP and COP31 provide a critical and unprecedented opportunity for the Blue Pacific to strategically advance this agenda,” said Secretary General Waqa.
“Through the Pacific’s role in hosting pre-COP and helping to shape the COP31 process, we have a unique platform to ensure that our priorities are not only present but clearly heard and reflected in global outcomes.”
“Our Pacific Climate Envoys carry more than a title, they carry the voices, values, and lived realities of our Blue Pacific. Having strong Pacific Envoys advocating for our people is essential for ensuring our Pacific priorities remain central to global climate action,” said Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
The Envoys will actively engage in pre-COP31 meetings scheduled to be held in Fiji and Tuvalu and will continue their advocacy throughout the COP31 negotiations in Antalya, Türkiye.
Their appointments reflect a shared regional commitment to ambitious and equitable climate action, while ensuring that Pacific perspectives help shape decisions on adaptation, resilience, loss and damage, ocean protection, and climate finance.
COP31 is a milestone UNFCCC arrangement featuring a Türkiye–Australia partnership that prioritizes the Pacific in global climate efforts. Türkiye will hold the Presidency, Australia will lead negotiations, and the Pacific will host pre-COP31 meetings.
As the world prepares for a pivotal round of climate negotiations, the Pacific COP31 Envoys will help ensure that the region’s priorities, challenges, and solutions continue to influence global action on the climate crisis.
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