At the U.N. General Assembly, leaders of low-lying Pacific nations urged the global community to take decisive action ahead of a major declaration, scheduled for 2026, on how the world will tackle sea level rise, an existential threat for many island nations. This is Feleti Teo, prime minister of Tuvalu.

Prime Minister Feleti Teo: “We expect the declaration to include the following: firstly, to ascertain the principle of statehood continuity as a tenet of international law and international cooperation, and to affirm that statehood cannot be challenged under any circumstances of sea level rise. Our membership in the United Nations and its specialized agency is permanent, notwithstanding the impact of climate change.”