Pacific Nations Say UN Sea Level Pact Falls Short

Pacific island nations told the United Nations General Assembly on October 12 that its first declaration on sea level rise does not go far enough to protect them. Delegates from across the region welcomed the text adopted in September but said gaps remain on statehood, maritime zones, human rights, climate finance and emissions cuts, as reported by the Pacific Islands News Association.

The declaration was adopted on September 24 at a high-level meeting in New York. It was the first time the General Assembly devoted a declaration to rising seas. An earlier GenZ NewZ report covered the adoption when the text was approved. According to UN News, the text sets a presumption in favour of continued statehood for countries whose territory may disappear, supports preserving existing maritime zones as sea level rise reshapes coastlines, and calls for more adaptation finance.

Papua New Guinea delivered the sharpest criticism. Its representative said negotiations had weakened important provisions in order to secure agreement from all countries. "The purpose of consensus should be to confer broad legitimacy. It should not become a veto by attrition," Papua New Guinea told the Assembly. The delegation added: "This veto by attrition transfers the price of consensus to the most vulnerable states." Papua New Guinea joined the consensus adopting the declaration, describing sea level rise as an issue that directly affects the lives, livelihoods and future of its people.

Palau spoke on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum. Its representative said rising seas were already affecting coastal communities, freshwater resources, food security and critical infrastructure across the region. Palau called for climate finance that is accessible, predictable and adequate, including international support to capitalise the Pacific Resilience Facility, a priority investment mechanism for the region. Palau also urged urgent global emissions reductions to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature goal within reach. "Every fraction of a degree matters, particularly for countries and communities already experiencing the consequences of climate change," Palau told the Assembly.

Kiribati spoke on behalf of the Pacific small island developing states. It said the human rights of people affected by sea level rise need protection, including the principle of non-refoulement, which protects people from being returned to places where they face serious harm. Kiribati also said climate finance must reach affected communities in good time and through processes that are simple to access.

Tuvalu stressed that rising seas must not undermine its statehood, sovereignty or maritime entitlements. Its representative said the physical changes to its territory could not be allowed to erase its rights under international law, and that its maritime entitlement "must endure". Tuvalu described sea level rise as an existential threat, with seawater entering homes, contaminating freshwater, damaging crops and infrastructure, eroding coastlines and washing away ancestral graves. The country called for accessible adaptation finance on better terms to support coastal protection, land reclamation and land elevation.

Vanuatu said the declaration must mark the beginning of action rather than the end of negotiations. Its representative said sea levels around the country could rise by up to 122 centimetres by the end of the century, potentially making more territory uninhabitable. Vanuatu cited the 2025 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on states' obligations regarding climate change, saying the court had confirmed legal obligations to prevent significant harm to the climate system, cooperate in good faith and protect human rights. The country called for time-bound national and regional action, scaled-up and predictable finance, technology and capacity-building support, and community-led approaches to climate mobility that protect people's dignity, culture and choices. Vanuatu also warned of continuing gaps in legal frameworks, planned relocation pathways, finance and political commitment.

What the declaration already promises

The September text gives island nations a legal foothold they did not have before. It establishes a shared political framework for international action on rising seas and calls for a follow-up high-level meeting. The declaration builds on years of work by the UN International Law Commission on sea level rise and international law. It also arrived after a year of exceptional ocean heat, documented in GenZ NewZ coverage of September temperature records.

The science behind the declaration is stark. According to the United Nations, the global mean sea level is now rising at 4.7 millimetres a year, more than double the rate recorded from 1993 to 2002, when it averaged 2.1 millimetres a year. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said global emissions must peak immediately and fall 60 per cent by 2035.

Around 770 million people live less than five metres above the high-tide line, according to the World Meteorological Organization. For Tuvalu, the stakes are concrete. The country has reclaimed 15.3 hectares of elevated, flood-free land on the capital island of Funafuti through a coastal adaptation project, with another 10 hectares being reclaimed, according to UN News. For a country with only around 26 square kilometres of land, that work amounts to a significant adjustment.

What the Pacific wants next

Pacific representatives said the value of the declaration will depend on implementation, stronger climate action and resources reaching the communities most affected by sea level rise. They pointed to earlier Pacific Islands Forum declarations in 2021 and 2023, which set out the region's position on preserving maritime zones and ensuring continuity of statehood despite climate-related sea level rise.

The interventions reaffirmed a position the region has held throughout the negotiations: rising seas must not extinguish statehood, sovereignty, established maritime zones or rights under international law. Pacific nations also said the declaration must lead to practical measures and stronger protection under international law, not only a shared political framework.

For the Pacific, the central challenge remains ensuring that sea level rise does not threaten the legal identity and rights of island nations, while global action keeps pace with the physical impacts of climate change. The debate in New York showed that the region intends to hold the rest of the world to the promises in the text.