by Gergina Maka’a in n Antalya, Turkiye

As negotiations at the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) get underway, Pacific island nations have launched the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion a central diplomatic hub aimed at driving regional priorities directly into high-level talks.

Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, said locating the pavilion adjacent to COP presidency spaces was a strategic move. “We are ensuring Pacific voices remain right at the heart of decision-making alongside host nations,” Bowen stated.

New Zealand Climate Change Ambassador Stuart Coleman highlighted the regional coalition, adding: “Our partnership with Fiji and Tuvalu has defined the core Pacific priorities we are bringing to COP31.”

Fiji’s Minister for Information, Environment and Climate Change, Lynda Tabuya, pointed to the ongoing omission of ocean governance from mainstream climate negotiations. “Oceans control the world’s climate, yet they remain sidelined,” Tabuya declared.

“Glaciers and forests are prominent on the agenda, but oceans are left out. We must stand together and fight for ocean protections,” she told delegates during the opening ceremony.

A key benchmark for the Pacific delegation is securing legally binding global commitments to maintain the 1.5°C warming ceiling.

Pacific negotiators described the pavilion as a unified base on the international stage to push for enforceable climate justice and accountability.

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Director General Sefanaia Nawadra acknowledged financial backing from New Zealand and Australia that made the facility possible.

“Our leaders and ocean envoys stand shoulder-to-shoulder to anchor ocean protection permanently onto the official UN climate agenda,” Nawadra affirmed.