TALENT ALERT: Indigenous climate advocates take their message to COP31
WWF-Australia
A delegation of Indigenous climate advocates from Australia and the Pacific will travel to COP31 in Türkiye to push for stronger action for communities on the frontline of the climate crisis.
The UN climate summit kicks off in Antalya on Monday, 9 November.
Supported by WWF, the Oceania First Voices delegation includes leaders from Aboriginal Australian, Torres Strait, Fijian, Solomon Islands and Aotearoa communities.
They will meet with governments and decisionmakers at COP31 to advocate for fair and direct access to climate finance for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, for a just transition away from fossil fuels, and for Indigenous Peoples’ rights, leadership and knowledge to be at the heart of climate decisions.
Members of the Oceania First Voices delegation will be available before and throughout COP31 from 9-20 November to offer insights, analysis and comments.
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Paul Fahy on 0455 528 161 or [email protected]
Oceania First Voices delegation
Takesa Frank, Aboriginal Conservation and Climate Advocate
Takesa Frank is a proud Aboriginal woman living on Murramarang Yuin Country on the NSW South Coast and one of Australia’s compelling young voices for conservation.
Raised in the Shoalhaven among forests and rivers, Takesa’s childhood instilled a profound respect for nature. The 2019–20 bushfires, which came within a kilometre of her family home, transformed her passion into purpose. In 2023, her tree-sit protest halted logging operations and highlighted the urgency of protecting native forests. She was named the Bob Brown Foundation’s Young Environmentalist of the Year in 2023. She champions Indigenous knowledge in conservation and believes young voices must be heard in climate decision-making.
Lala Gutchen, Torres Strait Islander Language and Climate Justice Advocate
Lala Gutchen is a Torres Strait Islander advocate for language and cultural preservation. She belongs to the Meuram tribe of Erub (Darnley) Island, and her parents are from Erub and Poruma.
In 2022, Lala was a pivotal cultural witness in the landmark Queensland Land Court case against Waratah Coal’s Galilee Coal Project. She gave evidence about climate impacts on the Torres Strait Islands and helped facilitate the Court’s historic first on-Country visit, enabling judges to hear directly from Traditional Owners.
Lala is an Ailan Pawa Ambassador within the Our Islands Our Home campaign and also serves on the First Nations Clean Energy and Climate Change Advisory Committee.
Lavenia Naivalu, Nacula District Representative and Indigenous Community Leader
Lavenia Naivalu is a dynamic Indigenous leader and community advocate with more than a decade of experience in governance, sustainable development and cultural preservation across the Yasawa Islands and Ba Province.
As the sole female representative for Nacula District to the Ba Provincial Council, she advocates for inclusive, community-driven and culturally grounded development.
Internationally, Lavenia has represented Pacific Indigenous Peoples at COP28 and COP29, the UN Ocean Conference and regional Indigenous meetings. She is a co-founder of the Fiji Community Symposium, advocating for climate resilience, food security and sustainable development.
Talei Silibaravi, Indigenous iTaukei Community and Youth Leader
Talei Silibaravi is an Indigenous iTaukei community leader from Kavewa Island, Nadogo District, Macuata Province, Fiji. She serves as President of the Macuata Provincial Youth Council and Project Coordinator for the Cagimaiwai Women’s Cooperative.
Her work focuses on youth empowerment, women’s economic participation, marine conservation, and community resilience. Drawing on her island upbringing, she advocates for traditional knowledge and the meaningful participation of rural and maritime communities in decisions affecting their livelihoods and environment.
Anahera Nin, Indigenous Māori Climate Policy Strategist and Youth Leader
Anahera Nin (Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Tauranga Moana) is an Indigenous Māori climate policy strategist and youth leader from Aotearoa New Zealand, working at the intersection of Indigenous rights, climate policy and economic development.
She is a Co-Founder at 4DF, a global Indigenous-led renewable energy fund working to move capital directly into Indigenous-owned and Indigenous-governed clean energy.
Kesaia Vasutoga, Program Coordinator, Regenerative Climate, WWF-Australia
Kesaia Vasutoga is an Indigenous iTaukei woman from Fiji and Program Coordinator, Regenerative Climate at WWF-Australia, working at the intersection of Indigenous leadership, climate justice and advocacy across Oceania.
She is committed to strengthening the leadership and influence of Indigenous Peoples, First Nations, Māori, Pacific and local communities in climate decision-making.
Through Oceania First Voices, she supports Indigenous and community leaders to engage in national, regional and international climate processes. Her work focuses on ensuring that climate responses recognise Indigenous knowledge and leadership, advance climate justice, and translate global commitments into meaningful outcomes for frontline communities.
Alfred Ralifo, Pacific Conservation Director, WWF-Pacific
Alfred Ralifo, originally from Rotuma in Fiji, is the Pacific Conservation Director for WWF-Pacific and has worked for more than 20 years across the region to support nature conservation and sustainable development.
Alfred has spent much of his career working alongside local communities to ensure their knowledge, priorities, lessons and local realities shape national, regional and global policies on nature, climate, oceans and sustainable development. He has also helped bring Pacific voices into major global environmental processes and negotiations, from biodiversity and climate to ocean and high seas governance.
Mosese Volavola, Fijian Indigenous Community Leader
Mosese Volavola is a Fijian Indigenous community leader and environmental development practitioner whose work focuses on Indigenous resource-owner leadership, climate action, customary resource governance, food security and sustainable community development.
He advocates for meaningful Indigenous Peoples’ participation in climate and environmental decision-making, recognition of traditional knowledge, respect for customary land and marine tenure, and the application of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
Contact details:
Paul Fahy, 0455 528 161, [email protected]