For countries which are affected by the climate and their communities, as a major step, the governments in the Pacific islands have adopted the globe’s first-ever regional guidance on climate-related planned relocation. This relocation, which is a rights-based plan developed mainly to support communities which are forced to move because of the rising seas, coastal erosion and the never-ending extreme tidal occurrences. The guidance was revealed on the 4th of March 2026, as a three-day gathering of the Pacific leaders in Nadi, Fiji. They gathered together and drew full attention internationally to the unique challenges the island states have been facing.
The Pacific Regional Guidance on Planned Relocation adapts global norms regarding climate displacement to the specific social, cultural, and legal contexts of the Pacific, where many communities are already experiencing the impacts of climate change. It primarily emphasises that relocation should serve as a final option for communities unable to adapt in their current location, and its implementation must safeguard the rights, dignity, and self-determination of the residents.
At the centre of this guidance is the recognition it obtains when it comes to indigenous rights and also local land tenure systems, making sure that decisions on relocation remain afar and that the affected communities have their own voice or opinions in every stage. This guidance also highlights the importance of keeping cultural heritage safe even when communities continue to grow into new environments.
The guidance draws on real‑world experiences, such as the relocation of the Walande community in the Solomon Islands, where repeated flooding made traditional island homes uninhabitable. While Walande’s move was largely self-led and funded through remittances, it underscored the need for formal support systems to help communities avoid future hardships, including food insecurity, renewed flood exposure, and conflicts over scarce land.
As a result, under this plan, national relocation policies are encouraged to be aligned by the Pacific governments, such as Solomon Islands‘ future coming standard operating procedures and Vanuatu’s guidelines, with the regional guidance, making sure access to sustained funding, life support and infrastructure will take place. Through mechanisms like the Pacific Resilience Facility, the guidance also requests that international donors and partners stabilise resources so that it can turn principles into action.
Human rights advocates say the Pacific’s initiative could serve as a global model for other regions facing climate‑induced movements, such as the Caribbean, where sea‑level rise and other climate impacts are also escalating.
