Pacific Leaders Use Documentary Launch to Press COP31 for Action
COP 31 Presidency Events • United NationsNovember 12, 2026
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Pacific leaders and a Marshall Islands youth negotiator turned the launch of the Pacific Rising documentary into a call for action ahead of COP31 negotiations. At the Nov. 12, 2026, COP31 Presidency side event, they urged world leaders to turn climate commitments into finance, to include young people in decisions and to treat Pacific nations as sources of solutions. No votes or formal decisions were taken, but the speeches previewed the asks Pacific delegations are expected to carry into the talks.
- Youth negotiator and Fiji's minister press leaders to turn promises into action and finance.
- Marshall Islands youth negotiator ties cultural heritage loss to a call for youth seats.
- Fiji's minister: the Pacific is not drowning but fighting, with resilience funding in focus.
- Palau's president recasts the region as "big ocean states" and "big solution states."
- Pacific Rising documentary launched and screened, with no formal decisions taken.
Youth and Fiji Push for Action and Money
The basics: COP31 is the 31st session of the Conference of the Parties, the annual United Nations climate negotiation. The 1.5C target refers to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Pacific Small Island Developing States, known as PSIDS, is the bloc of Pacific island nations that negotiates together.
Why it matters: This was the longest stretch of substantive speaking at the event. Speakers linked two things that often get discussed separately in climate talks: the loss of culture and heritage, and access to finance. For island communities, both decide whether people can stay in place.
Where things stand: Jabod Silk, youth negotiator for the Marshall Islands, focused on the loss of cultural heritage as seas rise. He argued that young people need a seat at the table where climate decisions are made.
His central demand to leaders was direct:
"Turn promises into action, commitments into progress," said Silk.
That framing reflects a frustration common among frontline nations. Pledges made at past conferences have not always turned into money or measurable progress on the ground.
Fiji pushes back on victimhood: Fiji's minister, who chairs the Pacific Small Island Developing States bloc, rejected the image of the Pacific as passive victims. The minister said the region is not drowning but fighting. The minister also spoke about the Pacific Resilience Fund, a regional vehicle for financing adaptation.
The documentary screened at the event reinforced those themes. It featured the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project and examined the 1.5C goal and climate finance.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No decisions were made. The asks are aimed at wealthy nations and finance institutions, which control the funding Pacific governments say they need. Island residents, especially young people and communities whose cultural sites face erosion, have the most at stake if commitments stall. Youth advocates gain visibility from Silk's platform, but the event produced no commitment on youth participation.
What's next: Speakers framed their remarks as preparation for COP31 negotiations, where finance and 1.5C ambition will be on the table.
Palau's President: 'Big Ocean States'
Why it matters: The opening keynote set the tone for how Pacific nations want to be seen at COP31. They are positioning themselves as stewards of a vast ocean, not as small countries asking for help.
Where things stand: Surangel Whipps Jr., President of Palau, argued that the world has long measured the Pacific by its land size rather than by the ocean it safeguards. He tied the region to two milestones: its role in establishing the 1.5C goal and the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate.
"We are big ocean states, and even more importantly, we are big solution states," said Whipps.
The reframing is strategic. Small island nations have built negotiating leverage by moral authority and coalition-building rather than economic size. Pointing to the 1.5C target and the ICJ opinion reminds larger emitters that Pacific diplomacy has already shaped the global climate rules.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Whipps closed by urging the world to stand with the region. He made no specific funding request or proposal. For Pacific communities, the message is that their governments intend to show up at COP31 as agenda-setters, not only as aid recipients.
What's next: The "big solution states" framing is likely to surface again when Pacific delegations make their case in COP31 negotiations.
Minor Items
- Event host: Tangaloha Kupa, Director, Climate Change Resilience Program, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, emceed the launch.
- Behind the film: Matt Tomaszewski, filmmaker with Wild Pacific Media, described how the documentary was made before the full screening.
- Screening: The full Pacific Rising documentary was shown, alongside music performances.
Looking Ahead
The launch was informational, with no votes or formal outcomes. Its purpose was to build visibility for Pacific demands on climate finance, 1.5C ambition and Pacific-led solutions before COP31 negotiations begin. Readers tracking those talks should watch whether the youth-inclusion and finance commitments these speakers called for appear in negotiating texts.