Fiji has returned to the global climate stage nine years after making history. The island nation was the first small island developing state to preside over a UN climate summit, COP23.

The pre-COP meeting opened with a call to keep the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees alive. An award-winning choir welcomed thousands of delegates with a performance calling for the protection of island homes.

Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told world leaders to heed the Pacific’s warning on climate change. He said the impacts being felt by island communities show that Pacific risks are human risks.

The gathering brings together leaders from across the Pacific and beyond ahead of the COP31 climate summit. It gives small island nations a platform to demand faster action on emissions from major economies.

Fiji’s return to the centre of climate diplomacy underlines the outsized role small nations play in the global climate fight. The country that once led the talks now pushes to keep its promises alive.