Ministers and climate negotiators will meet in the Fijian city of Nadi from October 5 to 8 for the official pre-COP31 talks.

The meeting will chart the course for COP31, the UN climate summit to be held in November in Turkey’s Antalya province. Turkey holds the COP31 presidency, while Australia serves as president of negotiations.

Delegates will also hold a one-day retreat on the low-lying island nation of Tuvalu. Its capital Funafuti’s highest point is just two metres above sea level, and two of its nine coral atolls are already largely swamped.

Pacific leaders want the world to stick to the 1.5-degree Celsius warming limit, improve access to climate finance, and pay more attention to oceans.

A UN report released in August said sea levels are rising at a record pace. It found developing countries need up to 365 billion US dollars for adaptation but had only 26 billion dollars available in 2023.

The Pacific Small Island states are holding their own pre-meeting from September 30 to October 2 in Nadi.