Pacific leaders call for climate action and gender‑based violence prevention

ActionAid and UN Women convened Ni‑Vanuatu women with government ministers from Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Samoa during the Pacific Innovation Forum for Climate and Environment. Participants highlighted that intimate partner violence spikes during and after disasters, noting that 86 % of Vanuatu women have experienced such violence. ActionAid Vanuatu Country Manager Flora Vano said, “Women’s voices are excluded from decision‑making spaces… we must integrate prevention of violence against women into government climate plans.” The dialogue produced recommendations to embed gender‑responsive measures in climate policies ahead of COP31, where Australia will hold the presidency.

At the Australian Clean Energy Summit, Tuvalu High Commissioner Samuelu Laloniu urged foreign leaders to witness the “human face” of climate change in the Pacific. He promoted upcoming pre‑COP events in Fiji and Tuvalu, intended to showcase adaptation measures such as flood‑resilient agriculture and renewable‑energy projects. Experts said the events could attract investment for the Pacific Resilience Facility and help the region move toward renewable power generation.