Pacific leaders back Australia's COP31 bid
A host nation has not been named just months out from COP31, with Australia and Türkiye fighting to host the climate conference.
Friday 15 August 2025 | 05:00
Tonga’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and 2025 Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting chair, Crown Prince of Tonga, Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala.
Ronald Kumar
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) has reaffirmed its support for Australia's bid to host next year's COP31 United Nations climate summit in partnership with Pacific nations.
Tonga’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and chair of the 2025 Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting, Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala, during a press conference at the Meeting on Thursday, stated that the PIF supports Australia's bid to host the climate conference.
"We look forward to the possibility of receiving the world in the region for COP31 in 2026," he added.
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The Australian government has stated that it continues to work with Pacific island countries to secure the hosting rights for the 2026 climate summit, aiming to raise awareness about the climate change impacts on the region. However, a host nation has not been named just months out from the meeting, with Australia and Türkiye both fighting to host COP31.
The Forum Foreign Ministers Meeting also held discussions on the recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion on climate change and its implications in the Pacific.
PIF Deputy Secretary-General Esala Nayasi noted that foreign ministers, in their deliberations, discussed plans to address issues highlighted by the advisory opinion that would be of priority to the region.
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