Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has reaffirmed Papua New Guinea’s commitment to strong collective advocacy by Pacific Island nations on climate change and sustainable ocean resource management, stressing that the region remains both a victim of global climate impacts and a custodian of some of the world’s most critical carbon sinks.

“Since 2019, my strong sense has been that Pacific Island nations are innocent victims of the travesty of climate change — high sea level rise, drastic weather pattern changes, flooding, typhoons, and the salination of our waters and farmlands,” Prime Minister Marape said. “Our carbon footprint is minimal, yet we are severely impacted. Together, with our vast forests and the largest ocean on the planet, we are carbon sinks for the world. But our plight remains under-addressed, and that is the advocacy we will continue to advance together.”

The Prime Minister emphasised that beyond environmental challenges, Pacific nations must also tackle their economic vulnerability by sustainably managing the wealth within their ocean territories.

“Every year, between two to three billion US dollars’ worth of harvest is taken from our ocean, especially tuna fisheries,” he explained. “Yet only minimal returns flow back to our Pacific nations. Since 2019, I have been fighting to shift this imbalance. Just as oil-rich nations or forest-rich nations have united to leverage their resources, we as Pacific peoples— the owners of some of the world’s largest marine resources — must also claim our rightful benefits.”

Prime Minister Marape welcomed the growing consensus among Pacific leaders to shift the narrative from “small island states” to “big ocean nations,” ensuring resources are properly and sustainably harvested for the benefit of Pacific peoples.

“I am happy that my compatriots in the Pacific have accepted this line of thinking,” he said. “For the first time, we have a Papua New Guinean heading the Pacific Islands Forum Agency, and we are working very hard to entrench the East New Britain Initiative — which is all about processing the catches of our fish in our Pacific Island countries, rather than exporting them raw to international destinations. Pacific Island nations must earn more through value-adding, gaining more from our resources.”

The Prime Minister reaffirmed the unity of all Pacific peoples — Polynesian, Melanesian, and Micronesian — alongside Australia and New Zealand, in addressing both global challenges and shared opportunities.

“Our shared challenges and opportunities will be faced together, side by side,” he said. “Working together will ensure we survive the rising tide of global contest. I am very happy to be here in Honiara for this important meeting, and I look forward to welcoming my Pacific colleagues to Papua New Guinea on Saturday as we continue our journey together.”