Pacific Elders’ Voice Sympathies for Tonga

21.01.22

His Majesty the King & Government of Tonga

We, Pacific Elders from across the Blue Pacific write to convey our heartfelt sympathies and express deep sorrow at the loss of lives and devastation caused due to the recent volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami.

We appreciate this is a challenging and traumatic time for your government and the people, as you strive to clean up the volcanic dust, rebuild the lives of your people and the necessary infrastructure.

Our thought and prayers are with you and the people of Tonga at this critical time, and we stand ready to assist in your efforts to deal with the impacts of this terrible disaster.

This is a collective statement from Pacific Elders’ Voice. For further information please contact us.

More statements

09.07.26

Statement from Pacific Elders’ Voice on the Future of Pacific Regional Security

When vulnerability becomes a pathway for external influence, sovereignty itself is diminished. This is not the vision upon which Pacific regionalism was founded. Our regional institutions were created to strengthen the equal sovereignty and self-determination of every Pacific nation through cooperation and shared purpose, not to create new pathways through which power is concentrated, or influence is exercised over the most vulnerable.

08.11.25

UNFCCC COP30: Pacific Perspective

We call on all industrialised nations, including the Governments of Australia and NZ (both members of the Pacific Islands Forum) to urgently honour their Paris Agreement commitments to significantly reduce its Greenhouse Gases(GHG) emissions. This is the time for concrete and specific action.

02.08.25

Pacific advocacy wins at the world’s highest court!

The Pacific Elders’ Voice applauds the historic Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice and pays tribute to the dedication and resilience of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change and the Government of Vanuatu for supporting the course of actions that has now transformed climate change into a global, human rights issue.