Nadi, Fiji | 11am, 6 October 2026 —
Pacific leaders called for climate, biodiversity and ocean
finance to better recognise Indigenous leadership, customary
governance and community priorities during discussions at
Pre-COP31.
The call came at the event, Indigenous
Leadership in Blue Pacific Finance, a regional Talanoa
convened by Conservation International in partnership with
the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. During
the event, participants explored how finance can deliver
lasting outcomes for people and nature when Indigenous
Peoples and Local Communities play a central role in
shaping, governing and accessing investment.
The
Talanoa featured keynote addresses from Acting British High
Commissioner to Fiji Steph Lysaght and First Nations
Ambassador Justin Mohamed of the Australian Government, who
highlighted the importance of Indigenous leadership and
locally led approaches in addressing climate, biodiversity
and ocean challenges across the Pacific.
Steph Lysaght
emphasised that the UK will keep investing in approaches
that are built around community voices. “Pacific Island
countries are the custodians of marine ecosystems the world
depends on, and their perspectives on ocean governance must
be mainstreamed into global decision-making. The UK’s role
is to back that stewardship, including by helping secure the
finance needed to sustain this. Through our flagship Climate
Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme, we’ve seen how
practical, flexible financing, like the Sustainable Blue
Loan framework developed by Conservation International with
the Fiji Development Bank, can turn ambition into action for
the people who know these waters and these islands
best.”
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The session brought together Indigenous and
customary leaders, youth representatives, conservation
practitioners, government and development partners, and the
Fiji Development Bank to explore how climate and
conservation finance can move beyond short-term projects
towards approaches that are long-term, flexible and locally
led.
Filimone Waqabaca, Chief Executive Officer of the
Fiji Development Bank, highlighted the importance of
designing finance around community needs and strengthening
local capacity. “The starting point has to be
understanding the socio-economic and environmental needs of
communities. When we have that understanding, we can develop
financial products that are relevant to the community and
support both conservation and sustainable
livelihoods.”
Taholo Kami, CEO and Principal
Partner, Kami Pasifiki, said conservation finance needs to
be more accessible to communities. “Conservation finance
needs to be long-term, flexible and predictable if it is
going to work for communities. We need to look at how we
remove some of the barriers that prevent resources from
reaching the people who are doing the conservation
work.”
The discussion also underscored the
importance of customary leadership, with Ratu Sakiusa
Balemainabosevakaturaga Taukena, Chief of Ra, emphasising
that customary leaders and communities need to be involved
in decisions about finance from the outset.
Dr
Winifereti Nainoca, environmental scientist and sustainable
development adviser, reinforced the need for governments and
partners to create an enabling environment for Indigenous
Peoples and Local Communities to lead the design and
governance of climate, biodiversity and ocean
finance.
Young Indigenous Peoples and Local
Communities leader Alumita Lomalagi brought an
intergenerational perspective, highlighting the importance
of ensuring young people and women have meaningful
opportunities to shape and lead conservation finance within
their communities.
Mere Lakeba, Interim Pacific Lead
at Conservation International, said: “Indigenous Peoples
and Local Communities are stewards of the lands and seas
that sustain their livelihoods while providing ecosystem
benefits that extend far beyond national borders. Climate
finance needs to recognise and strengthen that leadership.
If we want lasting outcomes for people and nature, solutions
must be built around community knowledge, priorities and
governance systems. When it is, it can strengthen local
leadership and deliver benefits from the local level to the
regional and global scale.”
The event was convened as
part of the Sustainable Blue Pacific Initiative, a
partnership between the UK government, Conservation
International and the Office of the Pacific Ocean
Commissioner, supported through the UK’s Climate Action
for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme, which works with
Pacific governments, communities and regional partners to
strengthen inclusive ocean governance, community-led
monitoring and sustainable financing.
About
the Sustainable Blue Pacific Initiative: The
Sustainable Blue Pacific Initiative is a partnership between
the UK government, Conservation International and the Office
of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, supported through the
UK’s Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme.
Working with Pacific governments, communities and regional
partners, the initiative supports stronger and inclusive
ocean governance, community-led monitoring and sustainable
financing, while building regional readiness for
implementation of the Biodiversity Beyond National
Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, also known as the High Seas
Treaty. The initiative also supports national and regional
priorities for ocean protection and contributes to the
global goal of protecting 30 percent of the ocean by
2030.
About Conservation International:
Conservation International protects nature for the
benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork and
finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places
in nature for the climate, for biodiversity and for people.
With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100
countries, Conservation International partners with
governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous Peoples
and local communities to help people and nature thrive
together. Go to Conservation.org for more, and follow our
work on From the Field, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram
and YouTube.
About UK International
Development: This project is supported by the UK
government through its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Office (FCDO). Funding for the Sustainable Blue Pacific
Initiative is delivered through Climate Action for a
Resilient Asia (CARA), the UK’s flagship regional
programme to build climate resilience in South Asia,
Southeast Asia, and the Pacific
islands.
