UNFPA Backs Youth-Led Climate Solutions in the Pacific

Young people in the Pacific are no longer passively waiting for a seat at the table but are actively driving the climate agenda and demanding accountability, stated Bidisha Pillai, UNFPA Pacific Director and Representative. Speaking at a youth forum preceding key climate discussions, Pillai emphasized that Pacific youth are leading climate action and their voices, rights, and leadership must be recognized in decision-making processes. Climate change poses a harsh reality across the Pacific, disproportionately impacting young people who constitute over half the region's population. Pillai highlighted the crucial role Pacific youth play in initiating change through traditional knowledge, community leadership, and innovative technologies, especially as Fiji and Tuvalu prepare to host pre-COP meetings before COP31. The preparations for COP31 are also instrumental in shaping the future of youth development within the region. Miliana Iga, Coordinator for the Pacific Youth Council, noted that the council, in collaboration with the Pacific Community, is leading the development of the Pacific Youth Development Framework 2026–2035. This framework is slated for consideration by Pacific Youth Ministers in Samoa later this year and aims to guide youth development across the region, ensuring that Pacific youth voices remain central to climate advocacy and other significant regional priorities.

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Young people are no longer asking for a seat at the table but are actively shaping the climate agenda and demanding accountability.