FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Advocacy voyage to protect the oceans reaches the Pacific Islands Forum A voyage made to advocate for the protection of the Pacific Ocean has reached its destination: the 54th Pacific Islands Forum. The crew, including a young woman from the Anglican Diocese of Polynesia, made their voyage in a traditional vaka vessel, the Uto ni Yalo. Setting off on 21 August, they sailed from Suva in Fiji to the Solomon Islands, to reach the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) in Honiara on 8 September.

The Pacific Islands Forum brings the region together to address pressing issues and challenges, and foster collaboration and cooperation in the pursuit of shared goals. Founded in 1971, it comprises 18 members: Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The sailors wanted to amplify the voices of Pacific youth, calling on leaders to act as true guardians of the ocean and to take their message beyond the region to the world.

They are celebrating the region’s navigation heritage and affirming indigenous knowledge in addressing today’s environmental challenges. The 'Uto ni Yalo', are Fijian canoe sails, supported by the Uto Ni Yalo Trust, to advance sustainable sea transportation by rejuvenating traditional boat building, navigation & voyaging. Arriving at the PIFLM, the crew delivered advocacy messages to the forum leaders, emphasising that healthy oceans are essential for climate stability.

Their calls include establishing a fossil fuel-free Pacific with 100 percent renewable energy, implementing comprehensive ocean management with Marine Protected Areas covering 30 percent of Pacific waters, resisting militarisation while affirming indigenous ocean guardianship, and supporting ratification and implementation of the BBNJ Treaty for biodiversity protection beyond national jurisdiction. The Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Jeremiah Manele, has said in relation to the voyage ‘As host of this year’s Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, we reaffirm our vision of a Blue Pacific that is peaceful, prosperous, and united… The Wansolwara Voyage exemplifies the enduring strength of our shared ocean and our ancestral ties.

It reminds us that our future lies in honouring and drawing from traditional and indigenous wisdom, strengthening regional solidarity, and protecting our ocean as a source of life, stability, and peace.’ [Solomon Star News]. For this voyage, the Anglican Church across the region has rallied to take a leading role in spiritual support. At the outset, the voyage was blessed by the Most Revd Sione Uluilakepa, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

The Pacific Islands have been at the forefront of climate advocacy for many years. Their efforts ahead of the COP in Paris in 2015 are the reason we try to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. More recently, the International Court of Justice passed a landmark Advisory Opinion about states' responsibility to protect citizens from the damage caused by climate change, because of the work of a group of young lawyers from Vanuatu and advocacy from Pacific Island governments.

Climate Change Commissioner for the Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia, Fe’iloakitau Kaho Tevi, will run a side event at the PIFLM to share more about the voyage and advocate to protect the oceans. He spoke about the significance of the voyage saying: ‘The ocean is not just our highway or our source of food—it is the heart of our identity and our survival. This voyage is a moving prayer, carrying the hopes of a generation who refuse to accept a polluted, dying ocean as their inheritance.

Our message is clear: we must end plastic pollution, reject destructive practices like deep-sea mining, and act with courage to protect the blue Pacific for generations to come.’