The Cook Islands joined Pacific governments, civil society, private sector representatives, regional agencies, and development partners for the first in-person regional consultation on the Draft Implementation Plan for the Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility (PRFCM), held in Suva recently.

Led by Chargé d’Affaires for the Cook Islands High Commission to Fiji Antonina Browne, the Cook Islands delegation included Charlene Hoff from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Isaac Ryan from the Office of the Prime Minister, and Eve Hayden from the Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce.

The team contributed to key discussions on how the region can deliver a people-centered, practical framework that responds to the real-time challenges and needs of Pacific communities.

Endorsed by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in Rarotonga in 2023, the PRFCM seeks to guide regional action on climate-related displacement, migration, relocation, and community resilience, in line with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. The Implementation Plan aims to translate this vision into tangible, well-sequenced actions, reinforcing the region’s commitment to coordinated, long-term solutions.

The Cook Islands, currently focused on enabling communities to stay in place through resilience-building, highlighted the need for improved access to climate and development finance, strengthened data systems, and targeted investments in local capacity.

“Within the Cook Islands, we’re committed to staying ahead of the curve,” said Browne.

“For over a decade now, our government investments in infrastructure have been inclusive of climate resilience investments, so our engagement in the region’s climate mobility framework continues to focus on supporting improved access to climate and development finance and targeted investments in local capacity and resilience so our vulnerable communities, at the forefront of climate change impacts, can survive.”

The consultations also reinforced the value of drawing from local and traditional knowledge, especially from countries like Fiji and Tuvalu, co-chairs of the PRFCM Joint Working Group, who are already advancing efforts to support populations displaced by climate change.

The Cook Islands joined others in underscoring the importance of learning from these experiences while ensuring regional mechanisms are inclusive and accessible. Participants also echoed the need for stronger coordination with development partners and across sectors, and for clearer structures in the Implementation Plan to distinguish between foundational and emerging actions.

Hosted by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and UN ESCAP with support from the Pacific Climate Change Migration and Human Security (PCCM-HS) programme and the Government of New Zealand, the consultations form part of a broader regional response to strengthen collective preparedness and resilience.

The outcomes of the consultation will feed into the final Implementation Plan for consideration by the Forum Sub-Committee on Regional Security in July 2025. MFAI