Pacific island nations, led by Tuvalu, will host a 2027 summit to accelerate fossil fuel phase-out, pushing for stronger global action and a binding framework on energy transition.
Tuvalu and other Pacific island nations will host a second international conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels in early 2027, officials said, positioning the region at the centre of a growing push for global action on climate change.
The announcement came during the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, where Tuvalu’s Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change and Environment, Dr Maina Vakafua Talia, delivered a forceful appeal for countries to move beyond pledges and take concrete steps toward phasing out fossil fuels.
“We are not gathered here today because we lack knowledge. We are here because we lack action. Because we lack the will,” Talia told delegates in the opening plenary, highlighting what he described as a widening gap between international commitments and political action.
The conference, held on April 28, 2026 under the co-chairmanship of Colombia’s Environment Minister Irene Velez Torres and the Netherlands’ Environment Minister Stientje van Veldhoven-van der Meer, brought together governments, civil society and multilateral institutions to accelerate efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels across both supply and demand.
Drawing on Tuvalu’s frontline exposure to climate impacts, Talia warned that vulnerable nations were being left behind as wealthier countries secure their own futures. Referring to the Biblical story of Noah, he said powerful nations could “secure their tickets to board the Ark”, while countries like Tuvalu “are left to swim outside the Ark”.
Talia reaffirmed Tuvalu’s commitment to the so-called Santa Marta process and urged countries to establish clear and practical principles for a just and orderly transition, including tackling fossil fuel dependency across energy systems and broader economic structures.
He also called for urgent action to cut methane emissions linked to fossil fuels, describing them as an immediate opportunity to deliver near-term climate and public health benefits.
In a key diplomatic move, Talia confirmed that Tuvalu, together with other Pacific Small Island Developing States, would host the second conference within a year, with the aim of maintaining momentum generated in Santa Marta.
“A leadership responsibility that Tuvalu is committed to see continue to 2027,” he said. “The transition from Santa Marta to Tuvalu should prioritise continuity and channel momentum into concrete progress.”
The plan has backing from Pacific Small Island Developing States as well as governments from the Global South, civil society groups, indigenous representatives and other stakeholders attending the conference.
Several Pacific nations have already endorsed the Tasiriki Call, a regional commitment to transition away from fossil fuels, and see a Pacific-hosted summit as crucial to sustaining the credibility of the process.
An Intergovernmental Taskforce for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel-Free Pacific, established at ministerial level, has been tasked with advancing outcomes from the Santa Marta meeting and organising the 2027 conference.
Support for the Pacific initiative has also come from civil society, faith groups, health advocates and labour organisations, which argue the region’s vulnerability to climate change and its growing political leadership make it a natural hub for advancing global transition efforts.
At the core of Tuvalu’s intervention is a proposal to negotiate a new binding international instrument to manage fossil fuel supply and demand in a coordinated way. Talia said existing global climate frameworks have repeatedly failed to directly address fossil fuel production and that stronger legal mechanisms with accountability are now needed.
The Santa Marta conference itself is the result of years of advocacy by Pacific governments and civil society seeking a dedicated political platform outside the UN climate talks to address fossil fuel transition more directly and comprehensively.
