Only two leaders from outside the Pacific attended the Tuvalu leaders’ event, while officials from more than 50 countries took part in the wider pre-COP programme. Australia defended the cost of hosting.
The pre-COP31 climate meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu drew few leaders from outside the Pacific region. ABC Pacific and the Pacific Islands News Association reported that only two non-Pacific leaders — from Mauritius and Timor-Leste — attended the special leaders’ event in Tuvalu.
Fiji and Australia are co-hosting the broader programme from October 5 to 8, with the leaders’ event in Tuvalu held on October 5 and 6. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Climate Minister Chris Bowen took part. The Australian government said delegations from more than 50 countries were expected at the preparatory meetings, so the leaders’ count does not represent all participants.
Bowen put the cost of hosting at about A$20 million and described it as an investment in diplomacy with Pacific island nations. The estimate drew domestic criticism amid Australia’s budget deficit and rising interest rates. Opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan called the event a farce.
Participants discussed Pacific priorities for COP31, which will be held in Türkiye: reaffirming the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, securing adaptation finance and including ocean protection in the negotiations.
Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa said the Pacific Resilience Facility had received pledges of US$118 million toward a US$500 million target. The debate over attendance and cost therefore ran alongside discussions about the climate funding the region is seeking.