As global leaders prepare for the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) scheduled for November 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye, small island developing states (SIDS) are stepping up to amplify their shared climate vulnerabilities and demands ahead of the main summit. Between October 5 and 8, the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda is taking part in the Pacific Pre-COP31, a key pre-summit series hosted across Fiji and Tuvalu by Australia in collaboration with regional Pacific stakeholders.
Leading Antigua and Barbuda’s delegation to the high-level climate negotiations is Honourable Michael Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs. He is joined by Ruleta Camacho-Thomas, Ambassador and Acting Director of the Department of Environment, to ensure the nation’s perspective on climate action is centered in pre-summit conversations.
The Pre-COP31 program is split between the two Pacific island nations: official working sessions run October 5–8 in Nadi, Fiji, while a dedicated Leaders’ Event was held across Tuvalu and Fiji on the first two days of the summit. A core mission of the pre-summit is to elevate Pacific climate perspectives and priorities as global negotiators work to set the COP31 agenda.
For Antigua and Barbuda, this participation is far from symbolic. As a fellow SIDS, the Caribbean nation faces the same existential climate threats that challenge Pacific island communities, from accelerating sea-level rise to more frequent extreme weather events that destroy infrastructure and displace communities. The nation’s presence at Pre-COP31 reinforces its long-standing commitment to global climate governance and its consistent advocacy for SIDS priorities, including investment in climate resilience, targeted adaptation support, accessible climate finance, robust frameworks for addressing loss and damage, and enforceable implementation of past international climate commitments.
A key highlight of the Leaders’ Event is the opportunity it gives participating representatives to witness climate change impacts in Tuvalu first-hand, observing the ongoing challenges of coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion driven by sea-level rise. The event also showcases community-led adaptation and resilience projects that Pacific nations have implemented to protect their populations, offering valuable lessons for other vulnerable SIDS across the Caribbean and other regions.
Throughout the week-long program, Minister Joseph and Ambassador Camacho-Thomas will hold bilateral and multilateral discussions with fellow cabinet ministers, national government delegates, and climate advocacy stakeholders from around the world. Their input will help shape the shared negotiating positions that SIDS will bring to the main COP31 summit in 2026.
Antigua and Barbuda has repeatedly stressed the urgent need for more ambitious global climate action, particularly to expand access to critical financial and technical resources that vulnerable states need to build resilience and respond to escalating climate impacts. As a key milestone ahead of November 2026, the Pacific Pre-COP31 is designed to build political momentum and align negotiating priorities ahead of the main global climate summit in Türkiye.