PALAU, 2 September 2026 – Pacific nations today strengthened global efforts to secure a future for coral reefs, as the Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia and Tonga joined the High-Level Climate-Resilient Coral Reefs Commitment at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau.
These new signatories bring the number of governments supporting the Commitment to 22 countries, with French Polynesia — a Pacific Islands Forum member — also joining this week, building momentum behind the first global political pledge dedicated to protecting climate-resilient coral reefs. These are reefs identified through the best available science as having greater potential to withstand climate impacts and support broader reef recovery over time.
Coral reefs are far more than ecosystems. For Pacific peoples and communities, they underpin food security and livelihoods, protect coastlines from waves and storms, sustain biodiversity, and are deeply intertwined with culture, identity and traditional knowledge systems. The three new signatories are building on a long history of Pacific stewardship.
Hon. Lord Fakafanua, Prime Minister of Tonga, said, “For Tonga, coral reefs protect our coastlines and support our food security. They sustain our communities and define our identity, yet they face mounting pressures from overfishing, pollution, and climate change. Our reefs have demonstrated remarkable resilience, and by joining the Climate-Resilient Coral Reefs Commitment, we pledge to protect that resilience. We stand with our Pacific neighbours to carry this message to Pre-COP31 and COP31”.
Moetai Brotherson, President of French Polynesia, said, “French Polynesia has protected its reefs for centuries through the rāhui — a traditional practice of community-based resource management that allows nature to regenerate. Today, we revive this ancestral wisdom and join the Climate-Resilient Coral Reefs Commitment. By bringing together our cultural heritage with modern science, we commit to safeguarding our reef ecosystems and demonstrating that traditional knowledge and global action can move together. Our reefs know no borders. Protecting them is a commitment we carry for French Polynesia, and together with our whole Pacific family.”
Elina P. Akinaga, Secretary of the Department of Resources and Development, Government of the Federated States of Micronesia, said, “FSM is proud to be making this commitment today. For us, this is not a new chapter, but a reinforcement of the leadership we already exercise. By joining, we embed climate-resilient reef conservation into our national frameworks. Our participation is fuelled by our firm belief in the collective strength of the Pacific - our region is forging a powerful alliance that will advocate with one voice for climate-resilient reefs, carrying this message to Pre-COP31 and COP31.”
Through the Commitment, governments pledge to prioritise climate-resilient reefs in national climate, biodiversity and 30x30 planning; reduce local pressures including pollution, destructive fishing and coastal development; strengthen reef monitoring and action plans; mobilise finance and capacity with emphasis on community leadership and traditional knowledge; and ensure Indigenous Peoples and local communities are central to reef protection.
Marie-Céline Piednoir, High-Level Global Coral Commitment Coordinator, shared, "A strong regional coalition changes what this Commitment can achieve. Pacific nations supported it from the start, and they now form its strongest regional group. Reef protection here is not new. It is built on generations of traditional knowledge and practice, and that heritage belongs alongside the science. This growing coalition is sending a clear message that protecting climate-resilient reefs must be part of the global climate response."
The new commitments come as the latest science underscores both the urgency of action and the potential for recovery. The Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network’s Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025, the most comprehensive global assessment of coral reefs ever undertaken, finds that increasingly frequent climate-driven marine heatwaves are leaving reefs with less time to recover between bleaching events. But it also shows that reefs can recover when given the chance, with global hard coral cover increasing by approximately 6% between 2017 and 2019.
That evidence is also helping drive a wider push to accelerate protection of climate-resilient reefs. Our Reefs, Our Future, a global campaign from TNC, WCS and WWF Coral Reef Rescue Initiative, is working with partners to identify reefs with greater potential to persist through climate change and build the political, financial and practical support needed to protect them.
Dr Yimnang Golbuu, the Micronesia and Polynesia Conservation Director at The Nature Conservancy, said, “Today’s new signatories to the Coral Commitment strengthen a growing Pacific coalition and build on generations of leadership in caring for the ocean. Our reefs sustain our food security, livelihoods, cultures and identities, and Pacific communities know what is at stake. By acting together, Pacific nations are uniting traditional knowledge, science and government action to protect the reefs our future depends on. The international community must match that leadership with the long-term finance and partnership needed to turn these commitments into lasting protection.”
As the region heads towards Pre-COP31 in Fiji in October and COP31 in Antalya in November, Pacific governments are taking a growing regional call for climate-resilient reefs onto the global stage. The question for the international community is whether it will match that leadership with the long-term finance, political commitment and partnership needed to turn ambition into lasting protection.
About the High-Level Climate-Resilient Coral Reef Commitment
At the 3rd UN Ocean Conference (Nice, June 2025), 11 governments and 22 partners joined WCS, TNC, and WWF to launch the first global pledge to protect climate-resilient coral reefs – vital strongholds for biodiversity, food, and coastal protection. The coalition continues to grow, with now 22 governments and more than 40 global organizations backing the first political commitment to protect climate-resilient coral reefs.
Learn more: https://coralcommitment.com/protect-the-reef
About Our Reefs, Our Future
The Our Reefs, Our Future campaign is a global initiative led by WCS, WWF and TNC to help accelerate protection of coral reefs with the greatest potential to survive climate change. The campaign supports governments, communities and partners to use the latest science to guide conservation, climate adaptation and investment decisions for reefs that support biodiversity, food security, livelihoods and coastal resilience.
Learn more: https://www.ourreefsourfuture.org/
