Turkey and Australia had agreed last year that the Pacific would host pre-COP preparatory meetings as part of a compromise to resolve their battle over where the 2026 climate conference should be held.

Under the deal, Turkey will host COP31 in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya while Australia will chair the negotiations.

The 18-member Pacific Islands Forum announced Thursday that Fiji will host the pre-COP31 meeting in October while a gathering of leaders would be held in Tuvalu.

"Pre-COP is a chance to show that when it comes to climate change, the most vulnerable nations can lead, and the world's most powerful nations can listen," Jeremiah Manele, the prime minister of Solomon Islands and chairman of the forum, said on X.

Palau will also host special climate event as part of the 55th meeting of leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in early September.

Low-lying Pacific islands are threatened by rising seas and worsening storms fuelled by climate change.

"Pre-COP will be an unprecedented opportunity for the world to listen to the Pacific and understand the existential threat climate change poses for the region," Australia's minister for Pacific Island affairs, Pat Conroy, said in a statement.

"Hosting the Pre-COP and a leaders' event in the Blue Pacific is an opportunity for the region to work together on this critical issue and bring global attention to their leadership," Conroy said.