To mark World Environment Day, ICLEI Oceania is pleased to announce the appointment of Jyoti Prasad to the coordinator role of our Pacific Islands Office in Suva, Fiji. A Fijian national, Jyoti brings over a decade of experience working with councils on climate policy, finance, and nature-based solutions across the Pacific. Her appointment builds on ICLEI’s past work and dedicated presence in the Pacific region, and consolidates the establishment of the Pacific Island’s office last year, strengthening our capacity to deliver hands-on support to ICLEI’s member local governments and other clients in pursuit of enhanced sustainable urban development.
“Jyoti serves as ICLEI’s first dedicated technical expert and point of contact permanently based in the Pacific region, and will be engaging directly with our ICLEI members, municipal councils, community groups, partner organisations, national governments and international stakeholders,” says Kobie Brand, Deputy Secretary General of ICLEI and Regional Director of ICLEI Oceania. “This enables ICLEI Oceania to better understand local realities, priorities and opportunities, and to implement projects and initiatives locally – where action matters most. It also facilitates faster responses to emerging needs and ensures Pacific perspectives are appropriately amplified on both a regional and global scale.”
“ICLEI’s work in the Pacific is vital because climate resilience and sustainability must begin at the local level, where communities experience the real impacts of climate change”, says Rajneesh Lata Charan, ICLEI Oceania Board Member. “Strengthening engagement with local governments across the region will help translate global climate commitments into practical, community-focused action. A dedicated ICLEI Pacific Office in Fiji provides an important platform to support collaboration, capacity building, and locally driven solutions that respond to the unique needs and realities of Pacific Island communities.”
Jyoti’s appointment is particularly timely ahead of this year’s Pre-COP, which will be held in Fiji and Tuvalu from 5 to 8 October. ICLEI serves as the focal point for the LGMA constituency to the UNFCCC, and as the regional chapter, ICLEI Oceania is fully committed to the UNFCCC COP31 priority themes – many of which directly affect Pacific nations bearing the brunt of climate change, namely rising sea levels, disaster risk, and the compounding threats to food security, freshwater access, and community displacement.
A stronger regional presence also supports the delivery of active projects, including the RMIT-led Building Resilient Indo-Pacific Solar Panel Reuse and Recycling Networks (BRISP). This is a 2-year initiative supported by the Australian Government to establish viable pathways for managing end-of-life solar panels across the Indo-Pacific, with ICLEI Oceania serving as the local government engagement and regional scaling partner.
In May, Jyoti welcomed two new members to the ICLEI Oceania network: Sigatoka Town Council and Nasinu Town Council, and more councils are working with her to join our growing global network. These new members enable us to form a more connected corridor of members along the Viti Levu coastline (Fiji’s largest Island), facilitating more consistent and locally tailored member engagement. These councils also join a broader network of local and subnational governments across the Pacific, Australia, and Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as the global ICLEI family of more than 2500 towns, cities and regions that are collectively committed to a sustainable future through pioneering and scaling local action.
As World Environment Day reminds us, climate impacts are increasing, but so are the solutions, and acting now delivers safer, healthier, and more prosperous societies. The continued growth of the Pacific Islands Office stands as a direct testament to this global agenda. By embedding dedicated leadership where it is needed most, ICLEI Oceania is ensuring that vulnerable, frontline island communities are supported in their climate resilience efforts. Safeguarding our shared future requires local action that matches the scale of the global challenge, and through this enhanced regional presence, the Pacific is uniquely positioned to lead the way.