Sea-Level Rise ‘Finally’ on Global Agenda, General Assembly Hears, as World Leaders Urge Action to Turn Tide
Affected Nations Call for Legal Measures to Protect Statehood, Seek Climate Justice, Financing
The representatives of small island developing States and low-lying countries today urged immediate international action to combat sea-level rise — a global crisis threatening the lives and livelihoods of 1 billion people worldwide — during the General Assembly’s inaugural high-level meeting on the issue.
“Today is our historical opportunity to turn the global tide and to embark on a common path that secures prosperity, dignity and rights to all affected countries and communities,” said the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, noting that this event finally places sea-level rise at the top of the international agenda and marks “the take-off” for global efforts to shape an ambitious Assembly declaration in September 2026.
“The existential threat we face is not of our making,” he said, adding: “But it will remake us”. Livelihoods are destroyed, families gradually move, community cohesion is tested, heritage is lost, and eventually, the very fabric of nations becomes increasingly threatened. “For many of us, these are the hard realities we experience today, not the projections of a coming future,” he emphasized. Yet, agreements reached at annual climate summits and international meetings “say nothing about sea-level rise, ignoring the plight of entire nations and deterring the voices of the 1 billion impacted”.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations estimates that by 2050, global sea levels will rise between 15 and 30 centimetres, on average.
Initiatives and proposals highlighted:
- Global efforts to adopt a negotiated Assembly declaration on sea-level rise in 2026
- Use of innovation approaches and AI for monitoring and risk analysis, cooperation between scientists
- Australia-Tuvalu treaty recognizing unchangeable Statehood despite eroded coastlines
“Our world is in dangerous waters,” warned Secretary-General António Guterres in his introductory remarks, underscoring that — in line with the “Early Warnings for All” initiative — every nation must be protected by an alert system by 2027. The Group of 20 (G20) — responsible for around 80 per cent of global emissions — “must lead”, he urged, adding: “We need a strong financial outcome at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29).”
Echoing such a call was General Assembly President Philémon Yang (Cameroon), who highlighted the need for a collective response that protects those who call the world’s most vulnerable regions home. “Not everyone has the luxury of high ground or the financial resources to take precautionary measures,” he said. His predecessor, Dennis Francis (Trinidad and Tobago), added that this high-level meeting “finally” recognizes that sea-level rise has an agenda of its own through the Assembly’s “remarkable and unprecedented” action. “Let us sculpt our ambition into an action-oriented comprehensive declaration,” he emphasized.
In the day-long discussion, nearly 100 speakers took the floor, with many small island developing States and low-lying nations detailing their challenges, including lack of financing for mitigation and adaptation measures. Others outlined their technical and monetary support for vulnerable States.
About 25 per cent of Palau’s island population lives less than 10 metres above sea level, said its Vice-President, adding that “this way of life is typical” across the Pacific, with 90 per cent of the population residing within five kilometres of coastlines.
“We contributed almost nothing to this global scourge, but it is our land that is being consumed by the sea,” said Samoa’s Prime Minister, speaking for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).
The President of the Seychelles, noting that his country’s economy relies on tourism and fisheries, said that despite pioneering initiatives like debt-for-nature swaps” and sovereign blue bonds, it still lacks finances to address sea-level rise.
Noting that “climate change is wiping away decades of development gains in minutes”, Maldives’ President urged partners to continue to support the most vulnerable through the Loss and Damage Fund.
Similarly, rising sea levels have amplified the impact of other extreme events in the Caribbean, said Saint Kitts and Nevis’ Minister for Foreign Affairs, Economic Development, International Trade, Investments and Industry and Commerce, speaking for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Elevated sea levels, combined with recent events, such as Hurricane Beryl, caused catastrophic floods that were fatal and left thousands of people temporarily homeless. If the climate crisis continues unchecked, the rise in sea levels will threaten the resilience and long-term development ambitions of many CARICOM States, he added.
Among those who outlined their initiatives to support adaptation and mitigation measures in affected countries was the Secretary of State of the United States, who said that his country helps more than half a billion people to adjust to climate change. To that end, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration releases snapshots of every Pacific Island country to help them predict and prepare to the consequences of rising seas. His Government also pledged to cut emissions in half by the end of the decade and provide $11 billion in climate financing annually, he added.
For its part, the Republic of Korea contributed $300 million to the Green Climate Fund in 2023 and will provide an additional $300 million by 2027 to support climate change adaptation in developing countries, said its Minister for Oceans and Fisheries.
Several speakers underscored the importance of data and science, including the use of innovative approaches and artificial intelligence (AI) for monitoring and risk analysis, with Estonia’s President calling for establishing close international cooperation between scientists to exchange global climate evidence and share measures of sea-level fluctuations to provide risk scenarios.
Many delegates referred to the AOSIS Declaration which affirms that Statehood cannot be challenged under any circumstances of climate-change-related sea-level rise and that Statehood, sovereignty and inherent rights will be maintained. “For our entire Pacific islands region, the boundaries and baselines which define us remain whole and fixed,” said the President of the Marshall Islands, declaring: “We are not going to change the map for a crisis we did not cause […] The answer cannot be that our borders will be ambiguous or open for international plunder of our resources, or that it is simply cheaper to move us than it is to respect us.”
Australia's Foreign Minister highlighted her country’s agreement with the atoll nation of Tuvalu, which entered into force on 28 August. “It is the first time two nations have recognized, in a legally binding treaty, continuing statehood and sovereignty, notwithstanding the impacts of climate change-related sea-level rise,” she said.
The Assembly also heard a call — from Tonga’s Prime Minister, speaking for the Pacific Islands Forum — to include the issue of sea-level rise as a “permanent” agenda item of the world parliament.
“I am confident that we are writing the opening chapter of a long global journey,” said Cabo Verde’s President, with his counterpart from Mauritius adding: “Through political leadership and collective action, we may still have a last chance.”
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