Suva, Aug 31 (IANS): The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders have agreed to elevate the issue of sea level rise politically, including at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and strongly called for the inclusion of sea-level rise as a standalone agenda item in the UNGA and other relevant UN processes, according to a communique issued by the PIF.

The five-day 53rd PIF Leaders' Meeting concluded on Friday in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga, with climate change and resilience at the top of the agenda.

The final forum communique noted that regional leaders had discussed the "broad-ranging nature of climate change" and recognized that sea level rise is a "severe manifestation of climate change that threatens Pacific communities, especially in low-lying nations."

Leaders reaffirmed their support for and commitment to the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), which will help vulnerable Pacific people exposed to climate change and disaster risks. They recognized the PRF as the first Pacific-led, member-owned and managed, and people-centered climate and disaster resilience financing facility, with an initial financing target of 500 million U.S. dollars by 2026, the document said, Xinhua news agency reported.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a "global SOS" in Tonga on the sidelines of the PIF Leaders' meeting, urging governments to step up climate action, including slashing global emissions, phasing out fossil fuels and boosting climate adaptation investments, to "save our seas" and "protect people from current and future risks."

The secretary-general also expressed his full support for the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, saying he will do his best to help mobilize international resources for the PRF to combat sea-level rise.

According to the communique, the 54th PIF Leaders' Meeting will be held in Solomon Islands in September next year.