World Bank Pacific

15/10/2026

🏘️ Across the Pacific, more people are moving into towns and cities.

Since 1994, the urban population across ten Pacific Island countries has grown by 175%. By 2050, nearly one in two Pacific Islanders will live in a city or town.

That growth brings a once in a generation opportunity to plan places where people can live safely, access services and build a better future - but only if it is properly managed.

Our new report, Livable Pacific Cities and Towns, looks at what resilient, sustainable and inclusive urban growth can mean for the Pacific.

🔗 Read the report: http://wrld.bg/KRBL50ZXSvK

This , we’ll share findings, stories and country insights from the World Bank’s ongoing investments in urban resilience.

UN-HABITAT

12/10/2026

⚡Last week's Pre-COP in Fiji brought together Pacific leaders and partners to focus on one of the region's biggest opportunities: turning renewable energy ambitions into real projects.

📘Our new report on Energy Transition Roadmaps for the Pacific helped inform the conversation and outlines the scale of investment and policy action needed to power transition - estimating that Pacific Island countries will require around US$2 billion in energy investments by 2030 to strengthen energy security, reduce dependence on imported fuels, and expand access to affordable, reliable power.

Thank you to pre-COP hosts Fiji and Tuvalu for the opportunity to contribute to these dialogues to move beyond energy transition targets and towards implementation, financing and delivery for the Pacific’s energy future.

📖 Read the report: http://wrld.bg/XixL50ZOzjV

09/10/2026

🌏 At Pre-COP31 in Fiji this week, the World Bank Group hosted a discussion on how Pacific countries can build resilience while continuing to grow, create jobs and improve living standards in a changing climate.

Drawing on findings from the Fiji and Pacific Atolls Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs), the session highlighted that climate action and development are not competing priorities.

From strengthening infrastructure and protecting livelihoods to creating economic opportunities and supporting communities on the frontlines of climate change, Government representatives shared perspectives on how resilience can be integrated into development planning and investment.

The session featured a lively talanoa, with strong engagement from panelists and participants across the room, reflecting the Pacific's leadership in shaping solutions to some of the world's most pressing climate and development challenges.

🙏 Vinaka vakalevu to Fiji and Tuvalu for hosting Pre-COP31 and creating a space for dialogue, partnership and Pacific-led action ahead of COP31.

See our Pacific Atoll CCDR here: http://wrld.bg/SAYZ50ZVHLx
And our Fiji CCDR here: http://wrld.bg/kyH750ZUfcf

08/10/2026

The latest finds that AI is most effective at supporting jobs that require complex thinking and judgment—yet only 13% of jobs in East Asia and Pacific fall into this category, compared with 39% in advanced economies

Learn more: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/10/06/east-asia-and-pacific-holds-steady-amid-global-uncertainty-but-harnessing-ai-s-ful

08/10/2026

🇲🇭 As Pre-COP focuses on resilience, Ebeye Marks a major resilience milestone 🇲🇭

Last month, the 1.81 km Ebeye seawall was officially completed, helping protect homes, public infrastructure and livelihoods in one of the Pacific's most vulnerable atoll communities - marking the culmination of years of partnership between the World Bank Group, the Government of the Marshall Islands, and the people of Ebeye.

As leaders gathered in Fiji this week for Pre-COP discussions, including on the World Bank Pacific Atolls Country Climate and Development Report, the Ebeye seawall stands as a tangible example of translating resilience planning into action.

Beyond reducing climate risks, investments like the Ebeye seawall can also create the conditions for future development. By making communities safer, strengthening critical infrastructure, and improving confidence for future investment, resilience investments can help atoll nations not only adapt to climate change, but continue to grow and thrive despite it.

📸 Hall Contracting - the contractor of the works.

Read the Atoll CCDR: http://wrld.bg/SAYZ50ZVHLx

RMI Ministry of Finance, Banking & Postal Services Office of the President, Republic of the Marshall Islands

07/10/2026

In East Asia and Pacific, several economies are benefiting from supplying the goods that underpin the global surge of AI investment, but the technology’s reach across the wider economy remains uneven.

Find out more in the latest : https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/10/06/east-asia-and-pacific-holds-steady-amid-global-uncertainty-but-harnessing-ai-s-ful

07/10/2026

🌴 What does it mean to be future ready in a changing climate?

For Fiji's tourism sector, it means planning ahead, strengthening operations and building resilience to withstand disruptions while creating opportunities for future growth.

As discussions continue at Pre-COP in Fiji, practical examples like these show how climate action can support jobs, businesses and economic opportunity. Being climate resilient is not only about managing risk.

It is also about strengthening supply chains, supporting staff, improving preparedness and identifying new opportunities for growth.

Developed by the World Bank Group and supported by Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Future Ready: Climate-Resilient and Inclusive Tourism in Fiji guide provides practical tools, checklists and examples to help tourism operators build resilience while creating opportunities for more people to participate in and benefit from the sector.

📖 Download the guide:

Practical tools, checklists and tourism case studies to help Fijian businesses build climate resilience through inclusive action.

07/10/2026

East Asia and Pacific is projected to grow at 4.5% in 2026, showing resilience in the face of global headwinds.

Growth remains uneven across economies and sectors, while growing adoption of AI is creating new opportunities.

Read the latest : https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/10/06/east-asia-and-pacific-holds-steady-amid-global-uncertainty-but-harnessing-ai-s-ful

06/10/2026

In East Asia and Pacific, a global surge in AI-related activity is lifting growth in countries that participate in AI supply chains, while high energy costs are weighing on growth elsewhere, particularly in Pacific Island economies. Growth in the region is slowing, but considerably less than anticipated previously and is forecast to remain robust. The influence of AI is unmistakable in the region’s industrial sector, but it is less apparent in the rest of the economy. Like in many other emerging markets and developing economies, AI use in East Asia and Pacific is less prevalent than in advanced economies. Nevertheless, AI adoption is shaping skills demand as firms’ requirements for AI-related skills are often paired with complementary analytical and soft skills.

05/10/2026

🌏 As Pre-COP discussions focus on strengthening resilience across the Pacific, last week's commissioning of the new Tonga Meteorological Services and National Disaster Management Office highlights the importance of investing in preparedness before disasters strike.

The product of a decade-long partnership between the World Bank Group and the Kingdom of Tonga through the Pacific Resilience Program, the new center brings Tonga's meteorological and disaster management capabilities together in one facility. This strengthens the connection between early warning, preparedness and response, and will help communities access information before disasters and coordinate support when they occur.

Congratulations to the Kingdom of Tonga and Ministry of Meidecc - Tonga on this important milestone.

Thank you to the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Japan, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), whose partnership has helped strengthen disaster preparedness and resilience across Tonga.