Peceli Naviticoko 
Fiji and the Pacific have made limited progress on key climate issues at COP29, raising concerns for vulnerable communities.
Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Dr. Sivendra Michael highlighted this shortfall during the stocktake session at the close of the conference’s first week.
As the second week begins, there are growing hopes that the pace and ambition of negotiations will accelerate.
[Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Dr. Sivendra Michael]
However, by the end of week one, only a handful of agenda items had progressed to procedural decisions, raising serious doubts about the speed of progress.
Dr. Michael stressed the need for Pacific delegates to move beyond procedural discussions and engage directly with the core issues outlined in the negotiation texts.
He emphasized that Fiji and the Pacific must secure an ambitious outcome on the global goal of adaptation, a key issue that has been on the table since the COP in Glasgow.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad also reiterated that a concrete agreement on climate finance must be reached if meaningful progress is to be made.
[Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad]
With COP29 scheduled to conclude on November 22, all eyes are on the upcoming week of negotiations.
There is hope that the promises made by the presidency will translate into tangible action particularly for the Pacific countries who are most at risk from the escalating climate crisis.
