APIA, Samoa — The Second Pacific Loss and Damage Dialogue opened today in Apia, underlining the urgent need for practical responses to climate-induced loss and damage that threaten lives, cultures and livelihoods across Small Island Developing States in the Pacific.
Frances Brown-Reupena, Chief Executive Officer of Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, welcomed delegates and described progress since the first dialogue two years ago. “We’ve witnessed significant progress, both regionally and globally, in raising awareness, deepening understanding, and advancing financing for loss and damage,” she said, noting that the region’s long-standing advocacy has moved the issue from marginal negotiation rooms to concrete international mechanisms.
Loss and damage has been a Pacific priority for more than three decades. Vanuatu first raised the issue at UN climate talks in 1991 on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, calling for protection for nations vulnerable to rising seas. Since then the agenda has advanced through major milestones including the Warsaw International Mechanism (COP19, 2013), the Santiago Network (COP25, 2019) and the establishment of a Loss and Damage Fund at COP27 (2022).
Brown-Reupena highlighted a landmark legal development this year: an International Court of Justice advisory opinion that she said strengthens the ability of vulnerable communities to hold states to account and press for urgent climate action. She credited grassroots groups, including Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change, for sustained advocacy that contributed to that outcome.
“Our rich tapestry of cultures, languages, and ways of life are under threat from the climate crisis,” Brown-Reupena said. “That is why it is so vital that we come together to exchange knowledge, share success stories, and collectively shape the priorities for safeguarding our future.” She emphasized the Pacific’s deep connection to land and sea and the need for regional voices to be heard in global decisions on loss and damage.
Easter Chu Shing, Deputy Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), stressed the importance of newly available financing and technical support channels, noting that the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage and the Santiago Network open fresh opportunities for Pacific countries. At a regional level, SPREP is rolling out two targeted initiatives: the Loss and Damage Capacity and Capability Project, funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Building Our Loss and Damage Response project, funded by Germany’s International Climate Fund. These projects will support national dialogues to define needs, develop evidence-based case studies, and pilot community-focused solutions.
Youth engagement is central to the dialogue. SPREP officials said the region’s first youth dialogue on loss and damage concluded last week, and many youth participants have joined the ongoing discussions in Apia. Earlier regional activities — including media and journalist training supported by SPREP and New Zealand — have aimed to boost local capacity to document and communicate loss and damage impacts and solutions, ensuring Pacific stories inform global debates.
Organisers say the two-day dialogue intends to move beyond discussions to practical, locally relevant action. Both Brown-Reupena and Shing expressed gratitude for the continued support from partner governments, including New Zealand and Australia, which have helped fund regional capacity-building and discussions.
Summary
The Second Pacific Loss and Damage Dialogue in Apia brings regional leaders, youth and technical partners together to translate decades of advocacy into concrete, locally driven responses. The event highlights progress—legal recognition via an ICJ advisory opinion, international funding mechanisms, and regional capacity projects—and aims to accelerate community-based solutions and evidence generation to inform funding priorities.
Additional comments and context
– The Pacific’s long-term advocacy has progressively shaped international frameworks; SPREP’s current projects and the Santiago Network aim to convert global commitments into on-the-ground support. Scaling community-led pilots into national and regional programs will be essential for accessing and directing finance where it is most needed.
– The ICJ advisory opinion offers a potentially powerful tool for vulnerable communities and governments to seek accountability and stronger mitigation and adaptation action by major emitters. As an advisory opinion, it bolsters legal and moral arguments in international fora and domestic litigation, but it does not by itself create enforcement mechanisms; translating this legal recognition into tangible assistance will require political will and clear funding pathways.
– Strengthening media and youth capacity — already underway through regional trainings and youth dialogues — increases the likelihood that community needs and culturally specific non-economic losses are documented, understood, and prioritized in funding decisions.
Hopeful outlook
While the scale of loss and damage across the Pacific is profound, the region’s coordinated advocacy, growing international mechanisms, targeted capacity projects, and rising youth engagement create a foundation for more effective, locally tailored responses. Continued investment in evidence, community pilots and rapid funding channels can turn global commitments into meaningful protection for Pacific peoples and their cultures.
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