‘Aisake Valu Eke, Prime Minister of Tonga, welcomed the UN80 reform process as an opportunity to ensure the United Nations remains fit for purpose — just as the Pacific undertakes its own Review of the Regional Architecture under the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.  “For us, reform is not abstract — it is about survival, dignity, fairness and efficiency”, he stated.  This means anchoring regional integrated platforms within the Pacific Islands Forum, ensuring financing flows respond to regionally determined priorities, safeguarding access for the smallest administrations, easing reporting burdens and above all, increasing Pacific representation across the UN system.

For Tonga, climate change “is not a remote threat”, he stressed, “but an unfolding reality that threatens to erase decades of development gains — and imperils the very existence of our islands”. Calling for urgent, ambitious, and concrete climate action grounded in common but differentiated responsibilities, he voiced support for Australia’s bid to host the COP31. Scheduled to be held in partnership with the Pacific as a PACIFIC-COP, he called it “a unique opportunity to bring the voices of small island developing States to the forefront of the global climate agenda”.

He welcomed the landmark Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on 23 July — a historic decision affirming that “climate change is not only an environmental crisis but also a profound challenge to international law, human rights and the very survival of small island nations”.  For Tonga, this was a moral victory that amplifies the voices of the world’s most vulnerable, strengthens the call for urgent action to cut emissions and accelerate adaptation.  Further, it urges delivering on loss and damage finance, and reinforces the shared duty to secure climate justice, resilience and protection for present and future generations.

He recalled the UN Ocean Conference, underscoring the centrality of sustainable ocean-based economies to Pacific island countries that “rely on the ocean for food security, trade, and culture”. The Conference called for integrated ocean governance, stronger financing for marine conservation, resilient maritime infrastructure and “sustainable transport across our islands”.  At home, Tonga has taken concrete steps with the Ocean Management Bill 2025 — a landmark framework to conserve biodiversity, manage resources sustainably, and protect the marine environment.  Tonga further joined the Pacific family in the adoption of the Ocean of Peace Declaration, “declaring the Blue Pacific Continent as an Ocean of Peace”.  The ocean “must not only be protected — it must be honoured as a foundation of our security, of our economies, our way of life — our legacy of resilience”, he stressed.