Enviro News Asia, Fiji – Over 300 delegates from 33 countries in Asia and the Pacific gathered in Nadi, Fiji, from 26 to 29 August 2025 for the Sixth Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia Pacific. This marks the first occasion the regional event has been hosted in the Pacific subregion.
The Government of Fiji and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) jointly organized the Forum, which functions as the region’s leading platform for promoting sustainable solutions and enhancing environmental resilience. The event focused on addressing urgent environmental challenges affecting Asia-Pacific nations.
Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji, Manoa Kamikamica, emphasized the shift from ethical to legal responsibility in environmental stewardship, urging the Asia-Pacific to lead with confidence and credibility. Member States endorsed the Chair’s Summary, which highlighted priority environmental concerns to amplify the region’s voice at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) scheduled for 8 to 12 December 2025 in Nairobi.
UNEP Deputy Executive Director Elizabeth Mrema underscored the importance of environmental multilateralism and called for science-based, tangible solutions during both the UNEA and the Regional Forum.
Ahead of UNEA-7, member states introduced five draft resolutions focusing on circular economy strategies, coral reef resilience, youth participation in climate action, multilateral environmental agreement implementation, and wildfire management. Tuvalu also announced its plans to submit resolutions addressing climate displacement and sea level rise.
The Asia-Pacific Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum convened prior to the event, where Lenora Qereqeretabua, Fiji’s Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, stressed the need for courageous action rather than diplomatic delays. Youth representatives, including Eparama Qerewaqa from the Children and Youth Major Group, advocated for recognizing the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment in national laws and promoted intergenerational leadership.
The Forum concluded with ministers and senior officials calling for urgent, collective action to confront the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. They committed to accelerating the implementation of UNEA resolutions, enhancing climate and adaptation ambitions, and strengthening cooperation on ocean protection, plastic pollution, air quality, and sustainable resource use. Emphasis was also placed on circular economy models, innovative financing, and science-driven approaches, with attention to the specific needs of small island and mountainous states. (*)
