Why location matters for the Pacific Pre-COP

A contest between Fiji and Palau should not distract from the main aim to ensure regional priorities are met.

Sarah Thompson

16 February 20264 min read

When Australia bid to host the 2026 annual global climate change negotiations COP31, it envisioned a Pacific partnership that would centre climate dialogue around the concerns of vulnerable island nations. After Türkiye refused to withdraw its competing bid, Australia compromised. Türkiye would host the formal conference, while Australia presided over negotiations. Australia has also committed to support a Pacific-hosted Pre-COP meeting, a two-to-three-day preparatory gathering where ministers and senior officials from up to 50 different delegations shape expectations for the main conference.

Now, Fiji and Palau are competing to be the venue for these talks. Both nations bring extensive climate credentials, but to maximise this opportunity for the benefit of the region, logistics and symbolic impact must be considered.

On credentials alone, either nation could succeed. Fiji made history in 2016 as the first nation to ratify the Paris Agreement and the following year successfully presided over COP23 held in Bonn, headquarters of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat, demonstrating Fiji’s capacity to manage complex international conferences centred on Pacific voices.

Palau brings different strengths. As current Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Palau’s UN ambassador represents 39 island nations in UN negotiations. President Surangel Whipps Jr., who addressed the Lowy Institute on regional challenges last year, has championed ocean diplomacy and positioned Palau as an advocate for vulnerable island communities. Palau will also host the 2026 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in September.

The more foreign delegates and ministers that are drawn to the Pre-COP talks will enable Bowen to facilitate productive outcomes at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye

However, maximising the opportunity for this Pre-COP requires a host that can showcase Pacific climate vulnerability firsthand. Both Fiji and Palau struggle with extreme weather and rising sea levels, but face fundamentally different futures.

Palau, a low-lying atoll territory with most of its land mass at a mere nine metres above sea level, could be potentially uninhabitable by the end of the century.

Fiji will experience coastal displacement, saltwater intrusion, and food insecurity, but its comparative elevation ensures habitable territory will remain. This reality has prompted Fiji to offer its territory as a refuge for other low-lying Pacific neighbours.

Given these circumstances, Fiji has reportedly proposed to host Pre-COP dialogues in Fiji but include a flying visit to Tuvalu. Considered the most vulnerable island nation to the impacts of climate change, Tuvalu drew international attention at COP26, when Tuvalu’s then Foreign Minister, Simon Kofe, addressed the conference standing knee-deep in seawater. His cry: “We are sinking.” This image cemented Tuvalu’s existential crisis for a global audience.

Funafuti, capital of Tuvalu (Samuel Phelps/DFAT)

In theory, Fiji’s offer is compelling, the combination with Tuvalu offering the perfect foundation from which to direct climate talks towards the urgency of meaningful climate action for the Pacific.

However, the proposal contains two key flaws.

First, there is an awkward irony. Flying delegates between nations is not only costly but also generates significant carbon emissions, the very problem that COP-related dialogues seek to address. It is a point noted by many critics in the aftermath of COP-related events.

Second, logistics create substantial barriers to participation. From Europe, reaching Fiji requires 24-30 hours of travel. A return journey from Fiji to Tuvalu, another five hours. Many Pre-COP attendees will also attend the PIF Leaders Meeting in Palau, requiring an additional 24–30-hour journey from Europe or Fiji, depending on the timing of these events. For a voluntary, invitation-based meeting lasting just two to three days, these travel demands make high-level attendance unlikely by ministers as well as senior officials.

Palau, as a venue, makes more sense by co-locating the Pre-COP meeting alongside the PIF Leaders meeting in September. This eliminates multiple long-haul travel journeys entirely. Attendees make one journey to Palau, participate in both gatherings consecutively and return home. This efficiency will encourage attendance from high-level delegates, ministers and representatives from outside the region, the very actors vital for securing new commitments and finance to Pacific development.

Beyond logistics, hosting both events side-by-side allows for continuity. The Forum will address regional challenges, including climate change and the Pacific's transition to 100% renewable energy. The Pre-COP meeting will focus on shaping global climate negotiations. By sequencing these interconnected discussions, Pacific leaders can first align on regional priorities before addressing them in the multilateral Pre-COP setting.

So, what exactly are the stakes for Australia?

For Australia, this location choice has two clear implications.

First, a well-attended Pre-COP meeting strengthens Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s position as President of Negotiations at COP31. The more foreign delegates and ministers that are drawn to the Pre-COP talks will enable Bowen to facilitate productive outcomes at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, where the main negotiations will be held.

Second, a Pre-COP meeting that sets ambitious expectations for COP31 which are centred on Pacific priorities will reinforce and advance the Australian government’s regional agenda on climate action.

This Pre-COP meeting represents a rare opportunity to focus sustained global attention on Pacific climate vulnerability. Supporting Palau’s bid would deliver on Australia’s commitment to ensure that Pacific concerns remain at the heart of global climate talks, while doing so efficiently and with symbolic impact.

About the author

Sarah Thompson

Sarah Thompson is a Research Associate in the Pacific Islands Program and the Project Director of the Australia–Papua New Guinea Network (Opens in new window) at the Lowy Institute.

Topics

Diplomacy Pacific Islands Climate & environment