Fiji ready to host pre-COP31: Tabuya

Minister for Information and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya says Fiji can host the COP31 pre-COP event later this year.

Ms Tabuya said Fiji has been building on its previous experience hosting COP23, noting that the country successfully delivered the global summit in 2017.

“We do have the capacity,” she said, adding that Fiji’s earlier role under former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, who presided over COP23, demonstrated the country’s ability to manage large-scale international events effectively.

Ms Tabuya confirmed the upcoming event is scheduled from October 5 to 8, with early planning already underway.

She said her ministry had begun coordinated preparations and is extending invitations to world leaders and regional Pacific representatives.

“We are the least greenhouse gas emitters, and yet we are the most disproportionately affected, pointing to the heightened vulnerability of communities, including women, children, people living with disabilities, and other at-risk groups,” she said.

Fiji is receiving strong support from Pacific nations, which they say will amplify the region’s voice on climate issues globally, she added.