Pacific youth are moving from advocacy to leadership on climate policy, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the region has publicly backed their push for greater recognition and accountability, UNFPA Pacific Director Bidisha Pillai said this week.
Speaking at a youth talanoa held ahead of key climate discussions, Pillai said young people across the Pacific are no longer asking for "a seat at the table" but are actively shaping the climate agenda. She warned that climate change hits young people disproportionately — a critical point in the Pacific, where more than half the population is under 30 — and urged that their rights and leadership be embedded in decision-making processes at national and regional levels.
Pillai highlighted how youth are driving change through a blend of traditional knowledge, community leadership and new technologies. Her remarks came as Fiji and Tuvalu prepare to host pre-COP meetings ahead of the UN climate conference COP31, creating an immediate space for youth voices to influence negotiating positions and regional priorities.
Pacific Youth Council Coordinator Miliana Iga told the talanoa that COP31 preparations are dovetailing with a wider regional push to formalise youth participation. The Pacific Youth Council, working with the Pacific Community, is leading the development of the Pacific Youth Development Framework 2026–2035. The framework — which aims to centralise youth voices in climate advocacy and other regional priorities — is expected to be considered by Pacific Youth Ministers at a meeting in Samoa later this year.
If adopted, the decade-long framework would guide youth development programs across the region and seek to institutionalise mechanisms for youth input into policy and climate action. Iga said the framework is intended to ensure that Pacific young people are not just consulted but are front and centre in shaping responses to existential threats such as sea-level rise, coastal erosion and extreme weather events.
The UNFPA’s public endorsement adds weight to calls from youth and civil society for stronger, more accountable climate governance — a debate that has intensified in the Pacific as governments balance climate finance, infrastructure resilience and debates over market mechanisms such as blue carbon. Earlier regional reporting flagged concerns that some market-based approaches could sideline community rights; Pillai’s remarks underline youth demands that climate solutions respect rights and provide transparent accountability.
With pre-COP events under way in Fiji and Tuvalu and a ministerial consideration scheduled in Samoa, the coming months will be critical for translating youth-led priorities into policy positions ahead of COP31. UNFPA and youth leaders say the immediate test will be whether the framework and the voices it elevates result in concrete commitments and accountability mechanisms at regional and international climate fora.