We, the Transparency International Pacific Chapters urge you to protect and strengthen the Pacific's moral leadership on climate change by placing integrity, accountability, transparency and meaningful public participation at the centre of decisions shaping our Blue Pacific Continent.
Pacific Leaders have long been the world's moral voice on climate change, calling for greater action, climate justice and a better future for coming generations. To maintain that leadership, climate decisions and climate funding must be managed with honesty, transparency and accountability.
Pacific people continue to identify corruption, abuse of power and weak accountability as significant barriers to development, trust and resilience. TI’s Global Corruption Barometer Pacific found widespread concern about corruption across the region. Recent governance assessments also demonstrate that many Pacific countries continue to face challenges in strengthening transparency, political integrity and oversight of public resources. Robust integrity systems have never been more important and are essential to achieving the aspirations of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, the commitments made under the Teieniwa Vision, upholding the broader regional security priorities reflected in the Boe Declaration and meeting obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption resolutions.
While progress has been made across the region through anti-corruption reforms, stronger institutions and increased civic engagement, implementation remains uneven. The challenge now is to translate commitments into action.
Therefore, we urge Pacific Islands Forum Leaders to:
- Protect the integrity of climate leadership by safeguarding climate finance and climate decision-making from corruption, conflicts of interest and undue influence;
- Ensure Pacific resources benefit Pacific people by strengthening transparency, accountability and public oversight of climate, resource and development decisions;
- Strengthen democratic accountability and public participation by advancing political integrity, transparency and conflict-of-interest safeguards, and ensuring meaningful participation of civil society, communities, Indigenous Peoples, women, youth and persons with disabilities in decisions that affect their future.
These actions are fundamental to protecting public trust, strengthening resilience and ensuring that climate action and development deliver tangible benefits for Pacific communities.
1. Protect the Integrity of Pacific Climate Leadership
As climate impacts intensify with our villages and coastlines battles the impact of climate change and with climate finance flows increase across our region, leadership must be guided by the highest standards of integrity, transparency and accountability to ensure effective climate delivery in the Pacific.
We call on Pacific Leaders to;
- Protect climate governance from corruption, conflicts of interest and undue influence;
- Strengthen public participation and oversight of climate investments, projects and adaptation programmes;
- Strengthen channels for social accountability for climate investments centring the voices of communities, Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, persons with disabilities and other frontline groups
- And champion integrity, transparency and fairness in international climate negotiations.
Pacific leaders have already called for stronger protections for the integrity of global climate governance through the Tassiriki Call for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific. As preparations continue for COP31, we encourage Pacific governments and the Australian co-presidency to champion stronger conflict-of-interest safeguards, transparency measures and protections against undue influence within the UNFCCC process, including through establishing an Ethical Committee.
2. Ensure Pacific Resources Benefit Pacific People
Across our Blue Pacific, decisions about fisheries, forests, minerals, land, oceans and public resources will shape the future of our people for generations to come. Yet too often, Pacific communities see wealth taken from their lands and seas while receiving too little in return.
This happens when decisions are made behind closed doors, when it is unclear who benefits from resource deals, when corruption and criminal activities are allowed to thrive, when illegal fishing steals income and food from our communities, and when financial secrecy hides activities that are not in the public interest. These denies governments and communities the revenue needed for health, education, infrastructure, climate resilience and sustainable development.
We therefore call on Pacific Leaders to strengthen transparency and accountability in the management of natural resources, public assets and financial systems. Communities must have access to information about projects that affect their lands, waters and livelihoods. The wealth of the Pacific must be managed in the interests of Pacific people, ensuring that the benefits of our natural resources are shared fairly and preserved for future generations.
3. Strengthen Democratic Accountability and Public Participation
Strong democracies depend on transparent, accountable and inclusive institutions. As recognised in the Teieniwa Vision, integrity and public participation are essential to sustainable development. We call on Forum Leaders to strengthen political integrity and conflict-of-interest safeguards, improve transparency and accountability in public decision-making, support Right to Information reforms, and ensure meaningful participation of civil society and communities in decisions that affect their future. Inclusive participation builds public trust and helps ensure decisions are made in the public interest.
The challenge to Pacific Leaders
Stewardship is one of the Pacific's enduring values. We know that is held dear by Forum leaders. Through our lens stewardship means safeguarding our resources, protecting democratic institutions, ensuring climate finance reaches communities, and leaving future generations stronger than we found them.
The Teieniwa Vision has already provided the roadmap. The commitments have already been made now, the challenge before us is to act with urgency, courage and accountability.
Pacific people are watching. They want to see that public office serves the public good. They want to know that their voices matter. They want confidence that the wealth of the Pacific benefits Pacific people. They want to see climate decisions serve the public interest, and that no one is left behind.
Therefore, we urgently call on Forum Leaders to make integrity the cornerstone of Pacific leadership, and to renew their collective commitment to the Teieniwa Vision and the Boe Declaration on Regional Security as essential foundations for delivering the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
These regional commitments must now be matched by practical action: stronger institutions, transparent decision-making, accountable stewardship of public resources and meaningful participation by Pacific people. Equally, we will do our part as Pacific civil society: educating, advising, collaborating, advocating and analysing. Together we can meet the challenge of corruption and uphold integrity as the foundation of a stronger, safer and more resilient Blue Pacific.
Transparency International Pacific Chapters
Transparency International Australia
Transparency & Integrity Fiji
Transparency International New Zealand
Transparency International Papua New Guinea
Transparency Solomon Islands
Transparency International Vanuatu
