On March 4, 2026, Pacific Island governments launched the world’s first regional guidance on climate-related relocation grounded in human rights principles. The initiative aims to provide a framework for communities forced to move due to rising seas, coastal erosion, and extreme tides, ensuring that relocations are conducted with respect for human dignity and self-determination. The guidance was unveiled as Pacific leaders convened in Nadi, Fiji, to discuss pairing this landmark framework with the financial and technical support necessary for its effective implementation.
The Pacific Regional Guidance on Planned Relocation adapts global standards to the unique realities of the region, emphasizing robust assessments, clear policy frameworks, funding mechanisms, and community participation in all stages of decision-making. It gives special attention to customary land tenure systems, cultural heritage, and Indigenous rights, including self-determination and the principle of free, prior, and informed consent, ensuring that affected communities have a voice in shaping their future homes.
Human Rights Watch highlighted the experience of Walande, an Indigenous community in the Solomon Islands that relocated to mainland Malaita after repeated flooding rendered their island homes uninhabitable. The largely self-financed relocation illustrates both the resilience of communities and the risks they face when government support is limited. Without sustained financial and technical assistance, relocation can exacerbate vulnerabilities, including flood exposure, food insecurity, and conflicts with host communities over land.
The guidance recognizes that international law protects a range of rights implicated in climate-related relocation, including the rights to adequate housing, food, water, health, and cultural continuity. Pacific governments are encouraged to align national frameworks, such as Solomon Islands’ forthcoming Standard Operating Procedures and Vanuatu’s guidelines, with the regional guidance to ensure clear pathways for community leadership and direct access to funding.
Human Rights Watch stressed that principles alone are insufficient and called on governments and international partners to mobilize sustained resources, including through mechanisms like the Pacific Resilience Facility, to provide land, housing, infrastructure, and livelihood support. If fully implemented, the Pacific Guidance could serve as a model for other regions, such as the Caribbean, facing sea level rise, demonstrating a rights-based, community-led approach to planned relocation. The guidance underscores the need for governments and global supporters to enable affected communities to adapt with dignity and secure long-term, sustainable futures.
