Pacific countries have emphasized the critical need for strengthened international partnerships and financing to help Small Island Developing States (SIDS) address escalating climate and environmental challenges. This commitment was highlighted at the opening of a regional meeting hosted by the Government of Fiji in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka stressed the urgency of coordinated regional and global action to protect the Pacific’s people, ecosystems, and economies amid rising environmental pressures. He noted that environmental stewardship in the region is both a moral and legal responsibility, with threats such as sea-level rise, land degradation, and ocean ecosystem decline increasingly affecting livelihoods and national development. Gavoka highlighted the transformative role of Fiji’s partnership with the GEF, which supports adaptation, biodiversity conservation, sustainable land and ocean management, chemicals management, community empowerment, and institutional strengthening.
Fred Boltz, Head of Programming at the GEF, recognized the Pacific islands as global leaders in demonstrating how nature conservation underpins resilience and sustainable development. He emphasized that the GEF is committed to supporting Pacific nations to implement integrated solutions aligned with country priorities, delivering both regional and global environmental benefits.
Pacific SIDS face significant vulnerability to climate change impacts, including stronger storms, coastal erosion, coral reef degradation, and pressures on freshwater and food systems. At the same time, these nations are custodians of vast ocean territories and globally important biodiversity, making their environmental management crucial for both regional prosperity and global ecological stability.
The opening session brought together representatives from 15 Pacific nations, including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea, underscoring the long-standing collaboration between Pacific island countries and the GEF. Over the past three decades, the GEF has supported more than 270 projects in the region with over $800 million in grant financing, addressing climate change, biodiversity conservation, land and ocean management, and pollution reduction.
The GEF provides support through its family of funds, including the Trust Fund, Least Developed Countries Fund, Special Climate Change Fund, Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, and Capacity-building Initiative for Transparency. These resources help Pacific nations restore ecosystems, improve climate resilience, enhance waste and pollution management, and strengthen environmental governance. In Fiji alone, GEF projects have mobilized over $41 million in grants and more than $175 million in co-financing across 20 national projects.
Discussions at the gathering will focus on deepening regional collaboration and engagement with international partners to ensure environmental finance delivers lasting benefits for communities, ecosystems, and economies. The meeting reflects a shared commitment between Pacific countries and the GEF to scale up integrated solutions and ensure that global environmental finance effectively addresses the priorities and needs of Small Island Developing States.
