At COP 30 in Belém, Brazil, young Pacific climate leaders have stepped forward, youth negotiators whose journey began not in global conference halls, but in classrooms, communities, and one historic courtroom.
Earlier this year, the Pacific Community (SPC) supported two youth representatives from each Pacific Island country to participate in the Commonwealth Youth Negotiators Programme in Apia, Samoa. The training formed part of SPC’s long-term investment in youth leadership, equipping young people with the technical understanding and confidence to navigate global climate diplomacy.
Following weeks of face-to-face and virtual training sessions, these young people are prepared to observe and engage meaningfully in negotiations at COP 30 that will shape the Pacific’s future.
Among them was Mr Vishal Prasad, Director of Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), whose advocacy and leadership helped bring about the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion (ICJ) on climate change. For Mr Prasad, COP30 represented the next stage of that journey.
“The advisory opinion from the ICJ was a huge moment for the Pacific. Now that decision must come alive within COP30. It’s a tool to push ambition, protect 1.5°C, and keep climate justice real for our islands.”
SPC’s role in this story stretches back years. Through its Human Rights and Social Development Division, SPC holds the regional mandate to advance youth participation, anchored in the Pacific Youth Development Framework (2023–2031). The framework identifies climate action as one of the key priorities for Pacific youth.
At SPC’s 2025 Conference and Meeting of the Committee of Representatives and Governments and Administrations (CRGA) in Tonga, young delegates called for deeper engagement in the climate discourse and resources to implement their action plan. In response, SPC increased its investment supporting youth to contribute to the ICJ oral statement, join media teams, and now take part in COP negotiations.
Mr Prasad added that the partnership with SPC during the ICJ process was unprecedented.
“They shared their speaking time at the Court so that young people could directly articulate our demands. That level of trust showed us what regional solidarity really looks like.”
On the eve of COP30, Vishal and his peers joined a discussion with the Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern, Special Envoy for Oceania COP30.
The discussion focused on how Pacific youth could sustain advocacy between COP30 and the proposed COP31 in the Pacific ensuring that young voices continue to shape policy, not just react to it.
Mr Prasad added that it was inspiring to see Dame Jacinda acknowledge the power of Pacific youth.
“Moments like that remind us that leadership is about legacy and about lifting others as you climb.”
That sense of purpose was shared by Ms Belyndar Mounia Rikimani, a lawyer from Solomon Islands and one of the region’s emerging negotiators.
For her, the long journey to Belém was both physically demanding and deeply personal. She described travelling for several days to reach the Amazonian city, a small sacrifice, she said, for the chance to make Pacific voices heard.
“We travel for days to reach COP30 because our communities need their stories heard. The ICJ advisory opinion gives us a moral compass a legal and ethical tool to hold the world accountable.”
Ms Rikimani has attended multiple COPs, but says this one feels different. With the advisory opinion now on the table, Pacific negotiators and young people are better equipped to link legal principles to moral urgency translating climate justice from the courtroom to the negotiation floor.
“For us, 1.5°C is not a number; it is survival. This is our future, and we must protect it.”
Behind their participation lies months of coordination. SPC worked alongside and regional partners to ensure that each youth delegate had a defined role, whether embedded in national delegations, assisting civil society coalitions, or contributing to the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion.
The approach blended technical training with mentorship, ensuring that the next generation could learn directly from seasoned Pacific negotiators.
Mr Kunal Singh, Climate Finance Access Network Advisor (Fiji) with SPC, said this kind of intergenerational investment is already paying off.
“We’re seeing the next generation of Pacific negotiators come through with both technical skill and moral clarity. They are fluent in the language of climate finance and justice and that combination strengthens the Pacific’s ability in the negotiations.”
SPC views youth participation as integral to a just and inclusive climate transition one where Pacific communities, especially those on low-lying atolls, can remain on their islands and determine their own futures.
Mr Prasad added if COP 31 was to be hosted in Australia by Australia and the Pacific it should be a space where Pacific peoples, especially the youth can be heard.
“Their future is being shaped by the decisions made here.”
As negotiations continue in Belém, the Pacific youth delegation stands as a reminder that the struggle for climate justice is generational. From the courtroom in The Hague to the negotiation rooms of COP30, these young leaders carry forward the Pacific’s enduring message: the region may be small, but its voice carries the weight of survival.
For more information, you can contact:
- Lorima Dalituicama, Acting Team Leader, Pacific Way, Pacific Community (SPC) | [email protected]
- Amelia Rigsby, Digital Media Assistant Producer & Storyteller, Pacific Community (SPC) | [email protected]
The Pacific at COP30:
The 30th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is taking place from 10-21 November 2025 in Belem, Brazil.
It is being attended by Pacific leaders and their delegations, who are advocating for the survival of Pacific communities who continue to be at the forefront of climate change impacts.
Support for our Pacific Islands at COP30 from members of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP) is through the One CROP mechanism led by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
Members of one CROP include: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) – Lead, Pacific Islands Development Program, Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, Pacific Island Forum Secretariat, and the Pacific Community (SPC).
A key part of amplifying the One Pacific Voice at COP30 is the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion and the Pacific Delegation Office. The Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion at COP30 is a Pacific partnership with the Governments of Australia and New Zealand managed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The Pacific Delegation Office at COP30 is a Pacific partnership with the New Zealand Government managed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
The Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion, and the Pacific Delegation Office for the Pacific Islands Delegations is at the Thirtieth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change hosted in Belem, Brazil from 10 - 21 November 2025. To learn more about the Pacific Delegation Office please visit: https://www.sprep.org/cop30
