Gabriel Mara’s climate mission from the Islands to global negotiations

At just 29, Gabriel Mara has stood in rooms where the world's climate decisions are shaped.

This is a journey that began when he was just 26.

At the heart of his journey lies a simple, unwavering conviction: “I’ve always wanted to work for the community.”

From a quiet village life grounded in the tides of the Pacific to the complex arena of United Nations climate negotiations, Mara’s path has been driven by deep personal roots and an urgent sense of duty.

“I asked myself when I was very young in high school, how did I want to give back to a country that I love so much?” he says.

“What began as community work, just simple projects in villages… has built from there.”

That early work—conserving endemic species, creating community networks, and island outreach laid the foundation for his passion for environmental policy.

But it wasn’t long before Mara realised the limits of working one village at a time.

“One day I realised that if I care so much for the community, going community to community might take a bit of a time,” he reflects.

“But impacting policy at a national level will enhance, amplify the work. Regionally, even more. Internationally, even more so.”

That realisation propelled him into the world of climate policy, a realm where his voice now helps shape conversations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

There, he has served as Fiji’s adaptation negotiator and most recently, as coordinator and negotiator for the Group of 77 (G77) and China.

Today, at only 29 years of age, Mara is currently the only Pacific Islander serving as a coordinator for the G77 at climate talks, a role he hopes others from the region will step into.

“I never thought that one day I’d be speaking to a large audience, and the audience were countries,” he admits.

But behind the professional accolades and high-stakes meetings lies a deeply personal motivation - his family.

“Growing up, I was raised… mostly by my parents, but also my grandparents. And seeing them, how they rely so much on the sea, and being in the village, it makes me want to preserve that. My identity is very much rooted to the land and to the ocean. And I do not want to see it go out.”

That realisation propelled him into the world of climate policy, a realm where his voice now helps shape conversations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

A crisis that’s outpacing capacity

That sense of responsibility is grounded in firsthand experience.

Through his work, Mara has seen how climate change is rapidly reshaping life in the Pacific.

“We don’t have the resourcing, the money, and the materials to keep up with the level of modification, adaptation or even… relocation,” he says.

“The number of communities needing to relocate is actually increasing… The need is quickly increasing over our ability to keep up.”

Despite these growing needs, Mara highlights the Pacific's tenacity on the global stage.

“For many years, and decades even, we have punched beyond our weight… We are from small countries and for the limited resources that we have, we've done so much. And we've often been the loudest voices in the room.”

Still, there are barriers. High staff turnover, inconsistent participation at forums, and limited resources have all chipped away at continuity in Pacific representation at key negotiations.

“Often when there’s a high turnover… different people are sent to these forums… there’s no continuity. Or if there is, very little,” he explains.

“There is a gap in representation… and in the substance that you can actually provide.”

And yet, he remains hopeful and driven.

“We have the capacity. We just need to step up. We might be loud here, but we’re technically sound. We just need to find our voice in this leadership approach within the multilateral system.”

A Pacific COP, A Regional Moment

With growing momentum for a “Pacific COP” to be hosted in partnership with Australia, Mara sees a unique opportunity for the region to step into greater leadership.

“It’s very critical,” he says.

“The Pacific SIDS is the one that is affected the most of all SIDS… and this is somewhere that I believe we can also lead.”

He envisions Pacific negotiators co-facilitating key agenda items, asserting influence not only through advocacy but also through visible action and leadership.

“We need to show it by example… be forward thinking and a bit more forward with our approach.”

Youth Voices, Youth Power

That forward approach, he believes, must involve the region’s youth — now, not just in the future.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Pacific Youth Loss and Damage Dialogue, Mara says he’s energized by the gathering of young leaders from across the region.

“Youths are the future. In fact, not even of the future — of the present,” he says.

“It’s so important that youths are well informed, they know what they’re doing, technically sound, and they’re able to confidently assume not only these roles, but these spaces.”

More than a platform for policy discussion, the dialogue is, for him, a reweaving of traditional Pacific connectivity.

“The Pacific was never separated before,” he says.

“This is another way a network can be made — kind of like a spider web of communication… community within the region is one of our strongest suits.”

Gabriel Mara participating at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme's (SPREP) Pacific Youth Dialogue on Loss and Damage in Apia, Samoa on August 8, 2025.

Inoke Rabonu.

A Son of the Pacific

From his roots in rural Fiji to the corridors of international diplomacy, Gabriel Mara embodies what it means to serve with both heart and purpose.

“First and foremost, I am a Pacific Islander, a son of the Pacific,” he says. And with every step — whether in a far-flung village or a high-level negotiation hall — he carries that identity with pride.

And it all comes back to the people.

“I’ve always wanted to work for the community,” he says.

“That’s still what drives me.”

This report has been generated as part of a Pacific media news partnership with the SPREP Pacific Youth Dialogue on Loss and Damage, on 7-8 August, at Taumeasina, Samoa.