#UNGA81 Media Release: Forum Leaders Reinforce Strategic Partnership with the United Nations 26 September 2026 New York: Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders have reaffirmed a strong and unified regional mandate at the United Nations, advancing Pacific priorities including on climate change and financing, peace and security, and a stronger, more responsive multilateral system. As part of their annual schedule, the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders had their dialogue with the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Read the full media release here: forumsec.org/publications/re…

#UNGA81 Mālō e lelei from New York! The Prime Minister of Tonga, Lord Fakafanua delivered Tonga’s High-Level Statement to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The theme for UNGA81 is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”. Read the Prime Minister’s statement here: gadebate.un.org/en/81/tonga #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 Gutpela dei from New York! The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Honourable James Marape delivered Solomon Islands High-Level Statement to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The theme for UNGA81 is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”. Read the Prime Minister’s statement here: gadebate.un.org/en/81/papua-… #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 Halo Olgeta from New York! The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Honourable Matthew Wale delivered Solomon Islands High-Level Statement to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The theme for UNGA81 is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”. Read the Prime Minister’s statement here: gadebate.un.org/en/81/solomo… #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 Talofa from New York! The Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Honourable Feleti Teo delivered Tuvalu’s High-Level Statement to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The theme for UNGA81 is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”. Read the Prime Minister’s statement here: gadebate.un.org/en/81/tuvalu #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 Iakwe from New York! The President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Her Excellency Dr Hilda Heine delivered RMI’s High-Level Statement to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The theme for UNGA81 is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”. Read the President’s statement here: gadebate.un.org/en/81/marsha… #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 On the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Divavesi Waqa met with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, to advance dialogue on regional resilience and international partnership. Secretary General Waqa acknowledged and expressed appreciation for Saudi Arabia’s USD 50 million pledge to the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), recognising Saudi Arabia as one of the first international partners to commit support to this landmark Pacific-led financing mechanism. The Secretary General provided updates on progress towards operationalising the PRF, including the ratification of the PRF Treaty at the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Solomon Islands. Discussions highlighted the importance of continued international partnerships in building momentum towards the USD 500 million capitalisation target, with the UN General Assembly providing a strategic platform to mobilise further support and strengthen the PRF’s global partnerships. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 Mauri from New York! The President of Kiribati, His Excellency Taneti Maamau delivered Kiribati’s High-Level Statement to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The theme for UNGA81 is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”. Read the President’s statement here: gadebate.un.org/en/81/kiriba… #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretary General, Baron Divavesi Waqa met with the Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Hon. Sugiono on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. It was an opportunity to discuss key decisions by Leaders at their meeting early this month including areas of shared interest and mutual understanding. Secretary General Waqa also highlighted the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) as the Pacific’s first regionally led, owned and managed financing mechanism for climate and disaster resilience, underscoring the importance of sustained international partnership and support to advance this landmark Pacific-led initiative. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 Ahead of the annual Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders’ Dialogue with the United Nations Secretary-General, PIF Secretary General Baron Divavesi Waqa met with the President of Palau and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, H.E. Surangel Whipps Jr. For a briefing. The annual Dialogue reaffirms the Forum’s strategic engagement with the United Nations and provides a key platform to elevate Pacific priorities within the multilateral agenda. As Forum Chair, Palau will lead the Forum Members’ engagement, advancing the regional priorities endorsed by Leaders at their meeting in Palau earlier this month. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 G'day,from New York! The Prime Minister of Australia, Honourable Anthony Albanese, delivered Australia’s High-Level Statement to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The theme for UNGA81 is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”. Watch the Prime Minister’s statement here: gadebate.un.org/.../files/ga… #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Baron Divavesi Waqa, met with the Federal Foreign Minister of Germany, Hon. Dr Johann David Wadephul, on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting reaffirmed the decade long partnership between the Pacific Islands Forum and Germany, with discussions focused on strengthening cooperation around key regional priorities, including climate action and finance, resilience, and effective multilateral engagement. The Secretary General welcomed Germany’s continued support to Pacific-led resilience efforts, including its EUR 5 million pledge to the Pacific Resilience Facility, recognising this contribution as an important investment in strengthening the region’s capacity to respond to climate and other emerging challenges. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 The Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) convened in New York on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. The meeting brought together Ministers from the 12 Forum Island Countries and India’s Foreign Minister, Hon. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, to advance strategic relations, strengthen partnerships and identify opportunities for deeper Pacific–India cooperation. FIPIC was established in 2014 as a key platform for strengthening political and practical engagement between India and the Pacific. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 Alii from New York! The President of Palau, His Excellency Surangel Whipps Jr., today delivered Palau’s High-Level Statement to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The theme for UNGA81 is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”. Read the President’s statement here: gadebate.un.org/en/81/palau #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

#UNGA81 Joint Media Release: Pacific Islands Forum and CARICOM Strengthen Partnership Through New MOU 23 September 2026 New York: The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have formalised their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on 23 September 2026 on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Signed by PIF Secretary General Baron Divavesi Waqa and CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, the MoU establishes a framework for strengthened cooperation between the regions and provides a platform to advance shared priorities of Small Island and Low-Lying Coastal Developing States (SIDS). Read the full media release here: forumsec.org/publications/jo… #OneBluePacific #Regionalism

A talanoa organised by the Pacific Community-SPC @spc_cps, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), and the Pacific Disability Forum @PDFSEC was held over three days to prepare two Pacific Island experts recently elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) for their new roles. Ms Villaney Remengesau (Palau) and Ms Fa’atino Mataafa Utumapu (Samoa) were the first Pacific Islanders elected to the CRPD Committee in June this year. Their election affirms the Blue Pacific Continent’s commitment to ensuring that Pacific voices, leadership, and the lived realities of Pacific people continue to shape global standards, decisions, and actions. This includes the recently refreshed Pacific Framework for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PFRPD), endorsed by Forum Leaders at the 55PIFLM in early September. The talanoa in Nadi, Fiji, from 22-24 September 2026 enabled the two new CRPD Committee members to discuss committee proceedings and working methods while connecting them with a broader expert network. This network includes current and former committee members, regional specialists and thematic experts. Set to begin their terms on the CRPD Committee in January 2027, their election marks a significant step forward for Pacific engagement in the international human rights system. #OneBluePacific #UnitedNations #humanrights

#UNGA81 At the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Divavesi Waqa addressed the UN Climate Summit 2026 Solutions Dialogue on Climate Finance, highlighting the urgent need to close the widening gap between climate finance availability and the scale of financing needed. UN Assistant Secretary-General Mr Selwyn Hart underscored this growing global financing gap, reinforcing the need for innovative and accessible financing solutions for vulnerable countries and communities. Secretary General Waqa highlighted the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) as the Pacific’s regional financing mechanism to channel investment directly into locally led climate and disaster resilience. With a long-term target of US$1.5 billion to support a 1.5°C world, the PRF is no longer a distant ambition, it is an urgent investment priority. Through the Belau Declaration for Urgent and Inclusive Climate Action to Keep 1.5°C Within Reach, Forum Leaders have reaffirmed the PRF as the Pacific’s pre-eminent climate investment priority. #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #PRF #COP31

The 41st Meeting of the UNFCCC Standing Committee on Finance (SCF41) has commenced in Sydney, Australia, bringing together climate finance experts and negotiators to shape key recommendations ahead of COP31. Discussions this week will focus on finalising the Technical Report on the Seventh Biennial Assessment and Overview of Climate Finance Flows. For Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS), these discussions are critical. As implementation of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) begins, the Pacific is calling for climate finance that is more accessible, predictable and responsive to the realities of vulnerable island nations. Pacific priorities include operationalising the special circumstances of SIDS, protecting grant-based finance for adaptation, scaling programmatic approaches, and investing in regional institutions that strengthen climate finance delivery across the Blue Pacific. The Pacific’s message is clear: success should not be measured solely by the volume of finance mobilised globally, but by whether climate finance reaches countries and communities at the scale, speed and quality needed to build resilience and safeguard development. Pacific voices continue to be represented on the 12-member Standing Committee on Finance through the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) representation, helping ensure that the needs and priorities of Small Island Developing States remain central to global climate finance deliberations. #OneBluePacific #ClimateFinance #scf41 #COP31 #ClimateAction #PacificResilience #AOSIS

#UNGA81 Ekamowir omo from New York! The President of Naoero, His Excellency David Adeang, today delivered Naoero’s High-Level Statement to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The theme for UNGA81 is “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all”. Read the President’s statement here: gadebate.un.org/en/81/naoero #OneBluePacific #Regionalism #UNGA81