World leaders need to see Pacific climate impacts firsthand: PM Rabuka
Rabuka warns low attendance at Fiji pre-COP would hurt Pacific climate message
Thursday 06 August 2026 | 10:00
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says it would be "a sad thing" for Fiji if world leaders fail to attend the pre-COP31 climate meeting in Nadi this October.
His comments come after Australian media reports claimed Canberra was struggling to secure attendance from countries outside the Pacific.
It remains unclear how many countries have yet to confirm their participation.
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Despite the reported challenges, Australia is continuing efforts to encourage world leaders to attend the meeting.
Speaking yesterday, Mr Rabuka said he was unaware of the reports, but said low attendance would deny leaders a rare opportunity to witness the impacts of climate change firsthand.
"We were hoping that more will come to Fiji for the pre-COP conference and have the opportunity to go out and see for themselves what is happening in some of the islands that have been badly affected by climate change, particularly Tuvalu," he said.
A "special leaders' component" of the gathering is planned in Tuvalu, where leaders will have the opportunity to visit the low-lying nation, which scientists warn could be effectively inundated by rising sea levels this century.
"That's really the reason why we had asked Australia to support us to have a pre-COP in the Pacific.
"Before the main one happening in Türkiye, unfortunately, some of the leaders will not be able to come," Mr Rabuka said.
He said he did not blame leaders who "probably have higher priorities", but stressed Pacific nations, which are "right in the frontline" of climate change, needed world leaders to better understand their situation.
"When we go and present our case, they'd be able to understand better," he said.
Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Sivendra Michael said no formal concerns had been raised with his office this week and preparations remained on track.
Fiji and Tuvalu will jointly host the official pre-COP31 conference from October 5 to 8, with meetings in Nadi and Tuvalu.
Türkiye will host COP31 and the World Leaders Summit in Antalya in November.
