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17 01, 2026

New Project To Strengthen Women’s Climate Leadership

2026-10-30T17:15:47-04:00Tags: , , , |

Women’s leadership in climate action across the Pacific is set to gain new momentum with the launch of the Women POWER Project. Funded by the Canadian Government and implemented by Oxfam, the five-million-dollar, five-year regional initiative aims to build resilience and advance climate justice by supporting women-led climate solutions in Fiji, Kiribati, and Vanuatu. The project will work with local organisations to strengthen climate resilience, build leadership capacity, and promote gender-responsive climate action. Minister for Women Sashi Kiran says climate change remains the greatest challenge facing the Pacific Islands, with women and vulnerable groups bearing the worst burden. Women are often excluded from decision making despite being at the frontline of the impacts of climate change and the vital role they play in food security, fisheries, and family wellbeing. Kiran says initiatives such as Women POWER are essential in enabling women to adapt, lead, and shape climate responses at community and national levels, while working to close the gender gap in leadership across the region.

30 06, 2025

International Law Now Demands Climate Action—and It’s Actually a Huge Deal

2026-11-07T20:05:06-05:00Tags: , , , |

In her reporting for Atmos, journalist Anita Makri captures how the International Court of Justice’s historic ruling has transformed climate governance by shifting climate action from a voluntary moral appeal into a binding legal duty. A five-year campaign initiated by 27 university students in Fiji and led by Pacific Island nations like Vanuatu has culminated in a unanimous, landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Rejecting arguments by major polluters that climate duties are limited strictly to voluntary treaties, such as the Paris Agreement, the court affirmed that a state’s failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions constitutes an “internationally wrongful” act under general international law. The court now obligates states to halt polluting activities, regulate corporations, and compensate harmed communities when restoration is impossible. Alongside establishing 1.5°C as the legally binding ambition benchmark for national climate plans, the decision protects future generations, bans forced returns of climate migrants, and guarantees permanent legal statehood for submerged island nations—reinforcing the political, personal, economic, and cultural security of Pacific Island nations. Furthermore, because voluntary contributions to the COP28 climate-related damages fund cover only a fraction of annual losses, the ruling equips impacted groups to pursue direct legal reparations beyond underfunded funds. Though lacking direct ICJ enforcement mechanisms, this opinion provides frontline developing nations with powerful leverage as Vanuatu prepares to seek an implementation resolution at the U.N. General Assembly.

24 05, 2023

The Pacific Climate Warriors; Youth Activists on Rising Seas, Hope, and Organizing

2025-05-24T21:45:41-04:00Tags: , , , |

Young people across the Pacific Island nations are rising up to protect their lands, culture, and way of life. Despite contributing less than 0.03% of global greenhouse gas emissions, these nations face high vulnerability to climate change, particularly rising sea levels, climate-caused displacement, and compromised ocean economies. The Pacific Climate Warriors, a grassroots collective, uses youth-led activism to highlight Pacific climate impacts and resilience, proclaiming “we’re not drowning, we’re fighting.” Okalani Mariner, a 20-year-old Samoan activist, notes that “The ocean is our livelihood, so climate change feels magnified here.” Sera Saini, a 20-year-old from Fiji, highlights efforts like planting mangroves and improving infrastructure but acknowledges the lack of resources to tackle the challenges fully. For 22-year-old Jobod Silk from the Marshall Islands, activism is non-negotiable as his low-lying coral atoll homeland is extremely vulnerable. 24-year-old Brianna Fruean from Samoa emphasizes, “We’re not victims, we’re champions, and our leaders are some of the most outspoken climate leaders in the world. Indigenous knowledge is climate science.” Teen Vogue celebrates Pacific Islander cultures, achievements, and activism through their ‘Heart of the Pacific’ series.

11 12, 2021

The Female Climate Fight for the Pacific Islands

2025-06-27T21:13:24-04:00Tags: , , |

The United Nations and BBC center the Pacific as a frontline and a warning bell in the global climate crisis. The region’s landscapes and communities are not only being reshaped by rising seas and intensifying storms, but also serve as powerful indicators of what lies ahead for the rest of the world. This short documentary underscores the urgent need for drastic climate action, highlighting how sea level rise threatens entire cities, farmlands, and ways of life across the Pacific The video also reflects on the outcomes of COP conferences, emphasizing their impact on marginalized populations and the push for strong environmental leadership from women. Figures like Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa and Hilda Heine, former President of the Marshall Islands, exemplify the forceful advocacy emerging from the region. Meanwhile, grassroots voices like Liti Natumoto, a community leader from Fiji, recount the devastating impacts of climate-exacerbated cyclones, which have already displaced her village and turned many into climate refugees. Youth climate activist AnnMary Raduva, also from Fiji, leads a mangrove planting initiative that not only restores coastlines but also builds climate resilience. As AnnMary explains, mangrove forests serve as carbon sinks and erosion buffers. These stories demonstrate that local, youth-led solutions can help transform climate action.

13 03, 2020

In Fiji, Lesbian Feminist Activist Noelene Nabulivou Strives For World ‘Liberated And Free’

2020-10-23T22:35:24-04:00Tags: |

Diverse Voices and Action for Equality (DIVA) was co-founded by Noelene Nabulivou with the aim to create an all inclusive peer support group of LGBT+ individuals and marginalized women in Fiji. The group gives a voice to all individuals who are victims to the widespread patriarchal power structures and homophobic attitudes in Fiji. Their work mainly focuses on activism, advocacy, policy and feminist knowledge sharing that targets all communities, but prioritises informal settlements, and women from rural and remote areas.  DIVA For Equality strongly advocates across genders and intersectional fields by tackling the interlink of LGBT+ and women rights with economic, ecological and climate justice. Having worked alongside regional and international organizations, DIVA for Equality aims to be an all inclusive voice in the global climate debate. Notably, the group initiated the regional coalition of ‘Pacific Partnerships on Gender, Climate Change and Sustainable Development’, which now has more than 50 island nations involved. Photo Credit: Reuters 

30 08, 2017

Maria Nailevu, Pacific Climate Justice Activist

2017-10-30T02:51:11-04:00Tags: |

Growing up with recurrent natural disasters, sea level rise and flooding, Maria Nailevu experienced the impacts of climate change from a very early age. Today, she is working with Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality to promote social, economic and ecological justice woman to advocate for women human rights and climate action at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties conferences. Nailevu is also working to free her home of plastics with the Pacific Urgent Action Hub for Climate Justice and creating safe spaces where women can come together to share knowledge, stories and strategies for a gender-just society. Photo credit: DIVA4Equality

27 08, 2017

Maria Nailevu On Climate Justice For Fijian Women

2017-10-09T21:34:05-04:00Tags: |

Maria Nailevu recounts how her lived experience of climate change on the island of Taveuni has led to her current work on gender and climate change. She details her important work with feminist and community-led organization Diverse Voices & Action for Equality (DIVA). She recounts the work of the Women Defend the Commons campaign, which promotes social, economic and ecological justice in a women-led Suva-based organisation. Photo credit: Christine Irvine/Survival Media Agency

2 08, 2017

Fiji’s Climate Champion Speaks Up For Women In The Wake Of Cyclones

2017-11-02T00:11:14-04:00Tags: |

Eta Tuvuki is a single mother who saw her house dismantled in seconds by the powerful cyclone Archipelago. The mental trauma of losing her safe shelter didn’t deter her, however; rather it made her strong and inspired her to do something concrete for her fellow women facing the same situation. Today, as a rural leader for the Fiji-based NGO FemlinkPacific, Tuvuki acts as intermediary between her village and other government representatives. Apart from that, she shares the stories of women on the radio, helping and training women to restore the farms knocked out by cyclones and to be prepared for any kind of weather disaster. Photo credit: Sonia Narang

30 06, 2017

Noelene Nabulivou Standing For Climate And Gender Justice In Fiji

2017-10-30T02:54:10-04:00Tags: |

Noelene Nabulivou is the political advisor for Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality, a Fiji-based organization she helped to found that works at the intersection of gender, human rights and environmental justice. As an openly lesbian feminist, Noelene has mentored countless women across the Pacific, such as Lavetanalagi Seru, co-coordinator of Project Survival Pacific. Nabulivou’s leadership has been indispensable for the women’s, disability and feminist movement in Fiji and the Pacific Islands. Photo credit: Sustainable Pacific Community

30 05, 2017

Climate Change Drives Domestic Violence in Fiji

2017-10-30T03:37:08-04:00Tags: |

Shamina Ali is the leader of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and has been fighting domestic violence for more than three decades. In 2017, thanks to the Crisis Centre’s efforts, the Fijian government launched its first helpline for victims of domestic violence. More than 60% of Fijian women will suffer from domestic abuse in their lifetime, a figure exacerbated by climate change. One of the consequences of natural catastrophes is the displacement of thousands of families to shelters, where men and women are cramped together in close quarters without protection from sexual harassment and violence. Shaireen Mohammed and Verenaisi Naitu, also part of the Crisis Centre, explain more about climate change-related cases of violence against women and how they offer free counseling and support to the victims not only psychologically, but also in official and lawful matters. Photo credit: Sonia Narang

27 03, 2017

Global Warming Is A Matter Of Survival For Pacific Islander Women

2017-10-31T15:32:55-04:00Tags: |

Facing cyclones, floods, rising sea levels, and everything in between, women of the Pacific Islands, including Viva Tatawaqa and Helen Hakena, are speaking out. Bringing their message to international forums and media, these women are making links between climate change, the gender gap, sexual and reproductive rights, and global justice.

7 02, 2017

Sharon Bhagwan Rolls Amplifying Voices Of Pacific Island Women For Justice

2017-12-07T18:19:29-05:00Tags: |

Sharon Bhagwan Rolls is a Fijian human rights activist working on the intersection of gender and media as Executive Producer Director of femLINKpacific. The regional regional women-led media organisation has created a space for Pacific Island women to raise their voices for justice in their rights, communities, and for the for the land and oceans ecosystems of their homelands. Photo credit: FemlinkPacific

30 01, 2017

Pacific Women Climate Change Negotiators Workshop At Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

2017-10-30T21:00:25-04:00Tags: |

22 women from across the Pacific region attended the Pacific Women Climate Change Negotiators Workshop at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat to learn negotiation skills. Alisi Rabukawaqa Nacewa of the Bua Urban Youth and Coral Reef Alliance from Fiji, and Ofa Kaisamy, from the Tonga Department of Climate Change, voiced their concerns that women’s voices were not properly heard at the policy-making table. Photo credit: The Fiji Times Online

30 01, 2017

The Climate Change Sheroes Of Diverse Voices And Action For Equality

2017-10-30T03:01:49-04:00Tags: |

Led by Noelene Nabulivou, Audrey Seru and Maria Nailevu, Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality is a growing feminist LGBT+ national collective of lesbians, bisexual women, trans-masculine and gender non-conforming people working on issues of human rights, social justice and climate change. Their work includes everything from international campaigning and education to documenting local knowledge about climate change on Fiji’s islands. Photo credit: Diva for Equality/Facebook

23 01, 2017

Fiji 4 Rally: Fijians Stand In Solidarity At Women’s March Against Trump

2018-03-01T12:23:08-05:00Tags: |

Four Fijian women—Roshika Deo, Betty Barkha, Sandra Fong and Kaushal Sharma—joined more than two million people worldwide to participate in the Women's March of 2017. This American movement, formed after the national election, intends to defend women’s rights, address concerns of marginalised groups and work for environmental justice. Deo, Barkha, Fong and Sharma voice their concerns of how a Trump environmental non-agenda will impact small island states. Photo credit: Roshika Deo

1 01, 2017

Here Are The Women (2017): Vikatoria Tuivanualevu

2017-11-07T11:41:24-05:00Tags: |

Vikatoria Tuivanualevu, President of the Naweni Women’s Group, speaks out and claims women’s participation and representation in leadership positions from the community to the national level. She is also part of the Savusavu network on behalf of rural women in her community in Naweni Village and Soqosoqo Vakamarama Taukei for the Cakaudrove province. Tuivanualevu shares her experiences after Tropical Cyclone Winston with Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, Executive Producer-Director of femLINKpacific, an organization that tries to fill the gap in access to information in affected communities. She tells how her community is still struggling a year later to recover from the disaster; they appreciate the Women’s Weather Watch project, which helps inform them about weather and climate change, enabling better preparation when facing other disasters. Tuivanualevu believes women are essential for dealing with climate change disasters and building resilience; she argues how important it is to include their voices in decision-making processes. Photo credit: femLINKpacific

1 01, 2017

Here Are The Women (2017): Eta Tuvuki

2017-11-07T11:35:01-05:00Tags: |

Eta Tuvuki is a community leader and member of Soqosoqo Vakamarama, Buretu Women’s Club and femLINKpacific’s rural network of women leaders since 2012, in Rakiraki, Fiji. She speaks out about the lack of access to clean water since Tropical Cyclone Winston hit her country one year ago, and how this impacts the community's food security as well. Droughts, heavy rains and floodings are weather patterns that deeply affect the water and result in further issues for food sovereignty in her area. Access, ownership and tenure of land are another big problem, especially for women, the main providers of food for their families. Tuvuki shares the hardships she and others in her community face now; she calls for government action and women’s presence and input in much-needed solutions. Photo credit: femLINKpacific

24 01, 2013

Pacific Women In Climate Change – Meet Ms. Ashwini Prabha From Fiji

2018-01-24T11:59:50-05:00Tags: |

Ashwini Prabha, currently International Communication Coordinator for the Climate Action Network, has worked with various non-governmental organizations and efforts, including National Geographic Magazine, the Ministry of Agriculture (Fiji), the United Nation Development Program, and Worldwide Life. After giving birth to her son Mana, she started working as consultant from home, developing climate change communication strategies, campaigns, articles and media-skills trainings for various organization. Photo Credit: SPREP

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