Pacific Symposium on Loss and Damage: Understanding Non-economic Losses. Data, Policy and Capacity for Action

Background and rationale

Small island developing States of the Pacific are among the most exposed to and impacted by the negative consequences of climate change. Among other things, their reality is characterized by sea-level rise, ocean warming and acidification, changing rainfall patterns, and more frequent and severe cyclones. The impact is seen in coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, flooding, food security, and critical infrastructure. The socio-economic and environmental toll is growing, and climate risks with it.
Beyond economic costs, Pacific communities are increasingly highlighting non-economic losses as a critical dimension of climate impacts. These include the loss of cultural heritage, indigenous knowledge systems, identity, sense of place, and spiritual connections to land and ocean. Human mobility, specifically displacement and potential relocation, is another critical concern, particularly as it is deeply connected with territory, traditions, languages, and identity.

Loss and damage has therefore become a priority for the Pacific. Regionally, inter-governmental entities, like the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Pacific Community (SPC), are supporting countries through awareness, capacity-building and technical assistance projects such as SPREP's Loss and Damage Capacity and Capability Project, Building our Loss and Damage Response (BOLD Project), and the Danish-funded project through SPC. Countries are pursuing action regionally and nationally on measuring loss and damage, including NEL, revising policy frameworks, and exploring options for financing.

The event is held as part of the Pacific Climate Week in 2026.

Target audience

• Government: Pacific government representatives, 
• Regional: Agencies of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP)
• Communities: Civil society, Indigenous Peoples and local community leaders
• Partners: UN, international and regional organizations, bilateral and multilateral donors supporting loss and damage and NELs
• Wider network: other non-state stakeholders focusing on loss and damage and NELs in the Pacific

Objectives

• Foster knowledge exchange on evidence, tools, and approaches for understanding and addressing NELs, particularly in the Pacific.
• Explore existing and emerging methodologies and practices to measure, monitor, and value NELs in Pacific SIDS.
• Identify ways to strengthen and sustain enabling conditions, particularly data, policy coherence, and institutional capacity, for integrating NELs into national strategies and international processes, with a view to laying the groundwork for improved access to finance and capacity-building over time.
• Contribute to the growing body of evidence and outputs on loss and damage for the Pacific, bringing greater attention to the issues and concerns and supporting more targeted action.

Expected outcomes

• Shared understanding of NEL dimensions, challenges and implications for countries, communities, and ecosystems.
• Practical demonstrations of tools and methodologies through interactive breakout sessions.
• Enhanced collaboration across UN agencies, academia, civil society, and local communities, centring Global South perspectives in support of developing countries.

Pathways for use

Where appropriate, the symposium will provide substantive inputs for:

• The Pacific report on loss and damage.
• Targeted support from regional and international organizations.
• Country and regional reports, including transparency reporting under the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement and reporting under other multilateral frameworks (the Sendai Framework, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), among others).

Registration upon invitation

[Further information including documentation of the event will be shared on this webpage]