Mosese Raqio 
Foreign Ministers from around the Pacific gathered at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva this morning for the 2026 Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting.
The Pacific cannot wait for global climate action, with climate change already posing the region’s biggest security threat despite its minimal contribution to global emissions.
Acting British High Commissioner to Fiji Stephen Lysaght says keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is critical, but Pacific countries also urgently need support to adapt to impacts already being felt.
Lysaght says the UK will continue pushing for stronger global emissions commitments through international climate negotiations, including Fiji’s upcoming pre-COP.
He says the Pacific is among the regions hardest hit by climate change despite contributing the least to the problem.
Lysaght says global action must focus on both cutting emissions and building Pacific resilience.
Meanwhile, Solomon Islands’ Foreign Minister and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting, Rick Houenipwela, says the Pacific does not lack vision, but it needs implementation.
He says regional decisions must deliver tangible results for Pacific people and strengthen the Forum as the region’s principal political institution.
Houenipwela says Pacific countries must remain united and confident in shaping their own future.
