Pacific Rising
Bringing together partners to address the intangible costs of climate change
Pacific island nations are on the front lines of climate disasters, facing some of the most severe and immediate impacts from a warming globe.
Image: Pacific Island partners at the “Pacific Rising: Non-Economic Loss and Damage” 2024 convening
Establishing Pacific Rising
In response to this urgent crisis, UUSC supported grassroots partners in establishing Pacific Rising, an annual convening that brings together climate justice organizations from the Pacific to build power, share strategies, and advance community-led solutions.
Serving as both a space for building solidarity and a practical mechanism for partners to collectively determine how resources should be allocated, we are proud to convene leaders from diverse Pacific regions to cultivate meaningful relationships. Grounded in a shared commitment to decolonized grantmaking and Indigenous self-determination, UUSC and its partners are fostering inclusive strategies to preserve cultural heritage, promote gender equity, and build resilient futures.
Addressing non-economic loss and damage
Through Pacific Rising, we support partners in leading responses to what is known as “non-economic loss and damage” (NELD), the irreplaceable and intangible human costs of climate displacement that extend far beyond money. These impacts include the loss of Indigenous culture, language, traditional knowledge, and histories that communities rely on to pass on skills and wisdom to their next generation.
Pacific Rising serves as a model for how international funders can provide meaningful support without perpetuating colonial dynamics, demonstrating that effective climate solutions require funders to step back and assist community problem-solving rather than direct it.
Through support from the Climate Justice Resilience Fund and the Scottish government, UUSC has allocated over $955,000 across three years, with partners collectively deciding to share funding equally among organizations.
Our Pacific partners
- Banaban Human Rights Defenders Network (Fiji)
- Climate Tok (Papua New Guinea) (aka Fiji Women’s Rights)
- Ecological Solutions Foundation Trust Board (Solomon Islands)
- Jo-Jikum (Marshall Islands)
- Kioa Island Community Organization (Fiji)
- Kiribati Climate Action Network (Kiribati)
- Pacific Climate Warriors (Regional)
- Te Toa Matoa (Kiribati)
- Tulele Peisa Inc. (Papua New Guinea)
- Tuvalu Climate Action Network (Tuvalu)
Recent convenings and achievements
2024: The Power of Participatory Decision-Making
For four days in June, 10 climate justice organizations joined together to focus on non-economic loss and damage, establishing guidelines through collaborative and participatory design processes.
2023: Building Strategic Approaches
By uniting 40 people from 13 organizations, we highlighted gaps in mainstream crisis response through powerful community visits.
2022: Establishing the Foundation
The first Pacific Rising convening at Pearl Harbor, Serua, Fiji, created space for partners to plan and map out funding needs to resource community-led initiatives.
