“I still believe in multilateralism, and that's why I'm here” President Surangel Whipps Jr of Palau on Pacific climate priorities in 2026

What’s your message on this trip to European leaders?

When it comes to climate, our slow action is actually a form of torture for us. Sea level rise, storms, droughts, coral bleaching, you name it. We need to raise ambition. We need to take action, because there’s a lot of talk right now. We all know that we’re way below targets in reducing carbon emissions, but they are being reduced and countries are making an effort. I still believe in multilateralism, and that’s why I’m here, because I know we have to work together.

What do you want to see happen at COP31 in Antalya this year?

Well, I hope that Turkey takes on the responsibility and puts the ocean as a priority. That means talking about unlocking the Blue Pacific Prosperity, really highlighting the importance of a managed ocean, and how we need to invest in it because we know that a healthy ocean means a healthy planet. I think in all these COPs, it’s always been about forests, while we forget about the ocean.We want to bring that same focus to the ocean. We still have challenges accessing climate finance,that’s an important area for us, along with the energy transition.

You’ve called Australia the sort of ‘big brother’ of the Pacific. As a huge fossil fuel exporter do you think it’s stepping up enough?

I think Australia, our big brother, should be the leader in ensuring a 100% Renewable Pacific. They have the capacity, and they should take the lead in making this happen to show that they’re walking the talk.

Are you worried, given the energy crisis, that countries are stalling on the transition away from fossil fuels?

Whenever you’re dealing with 200 countries, it’s going to take a lot of work. A good outcome is one that countries really live up to their commitments and are consistent about. We’d like to see more NDCs being put forward, because that’s the only way we can have a roadmap that we all depend on. One of the challenges is that some people are late in doing them, others are not even doing them. It’s hard because everybody seems to be out for themselves. We are on one planet, it’s one climate that we’re dealing with, it’s not like we live on different planets and we need to help our partners understand that.

What’s your hope for the Pacific Resilience Fund?

This is about getting funding directly to the Pacific to cut red tape. The funding that’s available out there, it is really out of reach to a lot of small islands. There is a lot of overhead to do the reporting, when you have that requirement on a $100 million or $10 million project, it doesn’t make sense. So, how do we make that funding more accessible? That’s why we need the PRF to get funding out to the people that need it most.

Are you hopeful that the $500m goal will be met this year?

That’s our hope. And that’s why we wanted a Pacific COP, to bring the countries together and to understand the challenges. Our goal is actually $1.5 trillion, but $500 million is the first step for this year. There’s a lot of big countries out there, and if they’re truly our partners, we expect them to step up, and so that’s one of the things that we’ll be doing at the Pacific Island Forum in Palau - is asking those partners, because there will be around 20 some of them there to pledge and commit.

So much focus is on energy security at the moment - do you think EU countries for example are paying enough attention to the Pacific, and Chinese influence in the region?

China is way ahead of Western countries when it comes to the Pacific. This is what I have told European leaders, the US, Japan, Australia. These are our main partners when it comes to developing healthcare, education, and infrastructure in the region. They are our number one investors when it comes to helping the government in these areas, and we are grateful, but guess who is the number one private sector investor in our countries? It’s none of those countries, it’s China. They continue to lead everywhere in the Pacific, and so, guess what? If they are now in the private sector, they also influence politics and influence those countries in different ways. So, from a security standpoint, oh, absolutely, they’re all over it.

Surangel Samuel Whipps Jr. is a Palauan businessman and politician who has served as the president of Palau since 2021.