By Abbas Nazil
Solomon Islands’ Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Wayne Ghemu, will lead the country’s delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Pre-COP31 meetings in Nadi, Fiji, from October 5 to 8.
The Pre-COP31 Ministerial Meeting and Leaders’ Event is being jointly delivered by Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu in partnership with the UNFCCC ahead of the 31st Conference of the Parties, scheduled to take place in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20, 2026.
Ghemu will be accompanied by three government delegates, according to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology.
Two Solomon Islands chief negotiators, Henry Tufah, Deputy Director of the Climate Change Division, and Sammy Airahui, National Programmes Coordinator and Secretary for the Green Climate Fund National Designated Authority, are already in Nadi for the Pacific Small Island Developing States Pre-COP31 meeting being held from September 30 to October 2.
The meeting, facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), is providing Pacific Small Island Developing States with an opportunity to review their thematic priorities, share experiences and track progress on issues raised since COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
The upcoming Pre-COP31 events are expected to bring together ministers, government leaders, senior officials, UN representatives and observers to discuss climate priorities ahead of the formal negotiations in Türkiye.
The Solomon Islands delegation is expected to use the meetings to highlight priorities for Pacific Small Island Developing States, including efforts to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature goal within reach, improve access to predictable and accessible climate finance and strengthen attention to the relationship between oceans and climate change.
The Ministry also identified the need to consolidate a strong and unified Pacific voice while ensuring that international attention focuses on Pacific leadership and solutions alongside the region’s vulnerability to climate change.
Prime Minister Matthew Wale may also attend the Heads of Government meeting in Tuvalu, although his attendance had not been confirmed by the Office of the Prime Minister at the time of the report.
Representatives from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources are also expected to participate in climate-related engagements.
Development partners, non-governmental organisations and United Nations agencies based in Solomon Islands are also expected to take part in the broader Pre-COP31 activities.
Tuvalu will host a high-level segment where international leaders and representatives are expected to observe climate impacts and adaptation efforts in the atoll nation.
Fiji will host the Pre-COP31 plenary, providing a platform to highlight climate priorities of Small Island Developing States and Pacific-led responses.
The Pre-COP meeting traditionally serves as an important preparatory platform ahead of the formal COP negotiations and, in this case, will help build momentum towards COP31 in Antalya.
Stakeholder activities are also expected to involve civil society, the private sector, academia, First Nations representatives, youth and community organisations as countries prepare for the November climate negotiations.
