Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) ministers and senior officials are set to convene in Port Vila, Vanuatu from 13–15 April 2025 for the third Pacific Ministerial Dialogue on the Global Just Transition.

From a press release it states that the summit, known as Port Vila II, comes as Pacific nations face fuel shortages caused by the war in Iran. Fiji has increased petrol prices by 20%, Tuvalu has sent government workers home, and the Marshall Islands has declared a 90-day economic emergency.

Port Vila II aims to consolidate a unified Pacific stance on phasing out fossil fuels, build momentum for regional support of the Fossil Fuel Treaty proposal, and establish a PSIDS Inter-Governmental Taskforce to lead the Pacific in upcoming negotiations.

Hon. Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, said:

“The Pacific did not create the fossil fuel crisis, yet we are paying the highest price for it. Our communities are on the frontlines of sea level rise, intensifying cyclones, and the slow erasure of the only homes we have ever known. Port Vila II is about ensuring our voice doesn’t just get heard at Santa Marta—it must shape what happens there.”

The preparatory summit comes ahead of the first International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia later this month—a historic milestone that Pacific leaders have championed.

Joseph Sikulu, Pacific Champion for the Fossil Fuel Treaty, said:

“For Pacific Islands, leading on climate has never been a choice; it has been a matter of survival. The Santa Marta Conference is an opportunity for Australia, our big brother nation in the Pacific, to show up for the future of the region and lead on climate alongside us.”

Dr. Tzeporah Berman, Founder and Chair of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, added:

“Pacific Island Nations were the first to call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty. Even before the current oil supply crisis, these countries understood the threat dependence on fossil fuels poses to their security and global climate stability. We are honoured to support their leadership at the Santa Marta Conference, where they will be a crucial voice for international cooperation, high ambition, and fair timelines for phasing out fossil fuels.”

The dialogue reflects the Pacific’s ongoing leadership in climate diplomacy. It builds on the movement that began in Port Vila in March 2023, when six nations called for a global fossil fuel treaty following the unprecedented impact of two Category 4 cyclones in Vanuatu.

Today, the movement includes 18 countries, over 150 subnational governments, 4,000 civil society organizations, and more than one million individual supporters worldwide.