Before the world gathers for COP31 in Antalya, it meets first in the Pacific. Fiji will host the Pre-COP preparatory meeting and Tuvalu a Leaders’ event from 5 to 8 October 2026, in partnership with Australia — the first time global climate leaders, negotiators and partners have met in the Pacific ahead of a UN climate conference. The gatherings are designed to build momentum, bridge gaps across the negotiation agenda and put Pacific-led climate solutions at the centre of the road to COP31.
FAKTA
- What: the official COP31 Pre-COP ministerial meeting and a Leaders’ event — the last major meeting before COP31.
- When: 5–8 October 2026 — main Pre-COP programme 7–8 October; leaders’ event in Tuvalu 5–6 October (5 October is the travel day, the main event is 6 October).
- Where: Fiji hosts the Pre-COP meetings (Nadi, across the Sheraton, Sofitel and Crowne Plaza); Tuvalu hosts the leaders’ component.
- Hosts: Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia in partnership; the arrangement was announced by Pacific Islands Forum Chair Jeremiah Manele.
- Scale: more than 2,000 delegates are expected in Fiji.
- Purpose: find common ground, build momentum and let decision-makers see Pacific climate impacts and locally led responses first-hand.
- Then: COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, 9–20 November 2026 — Türkiye holds the presidency, Australia serves as president of negotiations.
What happens in Fiji and Tuvalu
The Fiji programme runs across three Nadi venues — the Sheraton, the Sofitel (which also hosts side events and the Green Zone) and the Crowne Plaza for the main exhibitions and side events — with the main official programme on 7 and 8 October, preceded by preparatory sessions. Events involving Pacific climate champions are planned for 5–6 October. Meanwhile the leaders’ component convenes in Tuvalu: heads of state travel on 5 October, hold the main leaders’ event on 6 October, and return to Nadi for a traditional welcome ceremony, a plenary and the main official event hosted by the Fijian government.
Why the Pacific wanted the Pre-COP
The point is not logistics but leverage. Hosting the Pre-COP lets the Pacific show decision-makers both the climate impacts the region endures and the locally led responses it has built — and lets it shape the agenda before the Antalya negotiations. Environment ministers are expected to centre discussions on keeping global warming within the 1.5°C limit and strengthening climate finance, a recurring Pacific demand backed by a UNDP climate-finance “state of play” paper arguing that political momentum must now translate into money reaching communities.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said Pacific countries have long been leaders on climate action and their voices are central to shaping the global response; climate minister Chris Bowen added that leading negotiations alongside Pacific partners raises the region’s profile in support of shared prosperity, stability and security.
The road from Nadi to Antalya
The hosting arrangement is distinctive: Türkiye holds the overall COP31 presidency and will host the main summit and World Leaders Summit in Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026; Australia serves as president of negotiations, with exclusive authority over leading the COP31 negotiations in consultation with Türkiye; and the Pacific hosts the preparatory talks. COP31 itself is framed around delivery — turning Paris Agreement commitments into practical outcomes — and the Pre-COP is where the Pacific intends to make sure its priorities are inside those outcomes before the gavel falls in Antalya. More than 2,000 delegates are expected in Fiji, making the Pre-COP one of the largest climate gatherings the Pacific has ever hosted.
The bottom line
The COP31 Pre-COP in Fiji and Tuvalu is the Pacific’s audition for the agenda of the Antalya summit: 1.5°C, finance that reaches communities, and solutions led by the islands themselves. The road to COP31 starts in the Pacific — and the Pacific intends to set its terms there.
Read more on Watan News: Fiji and Tuvalu host the COP31 Pre-COP.
