Pacific island leaders have issued a communiqué reaffirming the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent as the region’s collective commitment to a resilient Pacific. They welcomed financial commitments to the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) made by several countries and “strongly encouraged” all members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) to participate in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory proceedings on the obligations of States in respect of climate change.

The communiqué, issued at the conclusion of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum, acknowledges the May 2024 advisory opinion by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), clarifying obligations of States relating to the protection and preservation of the marine environment, which, leaders state, “is of critical importance to addressing the threats posed by climate change-related sea-level rise.”

Leaders welcome PIF members’ “historic participation” in the ICJ proceedings, representing more than 20% of all written submissions made by States, and encourage all members to confirm their participation in the oral hearings by the 2 October 2024 deadline. The hearings are scheduled to begin on 2 December 2024 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands.

In his remarks to the Forum, UN Secretary-General António Guterres acknowledged Pacific islands for “showing the way to protect our climate, our planet and our ocean.” “The young people of the Pacific have taken the climate crisis all the way to the International Court of Justice,” he said.

Leaders welcomed 2023 pledges to capitalize the PRF by Australia (AUD 100 million), China (USD 500,000), Saudi Arabia (USD 50 million), and the US (USD 5 million), and urged Forum Dialogue Partners to pledge further contributions to ensure the Facility’s initial financing target of USD 500 million is met before 1 January 2026. They also welcomed Nauru’s contribution of AUD 1million over the course of five years, as well as the pledge of technical support by the UK valued at GBP 1.3 million and an additional pledge by the US of USD 20 million. The PRF is “the first Pacific-led, member-owned and managed and people-centred climate and disaster resilience financing facility.”

In a statement on the occasion of the Forum’s meeting, the US’ administration highlighted its efforts over the last three-and-a-half years to strengthen the US-Pacific islands partnership by hosting two PIF Summits at the White House, opening three new embassies in Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu, releasing the first ever US-Pacific Partnership Strategy, and announcing plans to provide over USD 8 billion in new funding for the Pacific islands. In addition to supporting the PRF, the US’ partnership with the region seeks to enhance coastal adaptation and resilience, accelerate climate finance, strengthen disaster preparedness, and support climate-smart agriculture.

The 53rd Pacific Islands Forum convened in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, from 26-30 August 2024, on the theme, ‘Transformative and Resilient Pasifiki: Build Better Now.’ Leaders also discussed resilient health and education systems, fisheries, and regional peace and security, as well as the progress on the Review of the Regional Architecture and the need for a more strategic and rationalized partnership mechanism. [Pacific Islands Forum]

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This story is part of a project that seeks to raise awareness and build momentum and knowledge around the ICJ advisory opinion on obligations of States in respect of climate change and to promote a better understanding of the implications of the advisory opinion among sustainable development decision makers.