Oceania - Fiji 
Challenge
Climate change impacts in Fiji are forcing coastal communities from ancestral land and require fair, orderly relocation that respects rights and community choices.
Solution
Fiji’s planned relocation framework uses guidelines, standard procedures, and community consent rules so climate-related moves stay community-led and rights-based.
Overview
Rising sea levels, stronger tropical cyclones, and soil salinization are already pushing some people and communities in Fiji away from their traditional settlements. This type of forced movement, often described as forced migration or displacement, can disrupt livelihoods, social ties, and well-being. The risks are especially serious for island nations that are highly exposed to climate change.
Planned relocation, in which communities move in a structured way before climate impacts become unmanageable, is one approach that has gained attention. Fiji has drawn international attention as the first country where a community has completed a planned relocation to avoid climate impacts, and the country has developed a set of policies to guide similar processes.
Policy framework for planned relocation and displacement
To address climate-induced migration, Fiji has created several policy instruments that work together as a framework. Planned Relocation Guidelines provide a broad policy structure for how relocation should be planned and managed. Standard Operating Procedures for Planned Relocation in the Republic of Fiji set out concrete steps and processes to follow during relocation, from assessment and consultation through to implementation.
Fiji has also set up a trust fund so relocation efforts have a dedicated source of finance. This helps ensure that resources are available for activities such as site preparation, infrastructure, and support for affected households. Displacement Guidelines complement the relocation instruments and set standards for protecting the rights and welfare of people who have already been displaced or who face displacement.
Taken together, these elements form a policy package that gives government agencies and communities a common reference for how to handle climate-related movement. The framework is intended to guide individual relocation cases and support national responses when climate risks threaten settlements.
Community consent and decision-making
Fiji’s approach to climate-related migration rests on the principle that communities must sit at the center of any relocation decision. The government’s role is to support communities as they consider how to respond to climate impacts, rather than to impose decisions.
A clear rule illustrates this approach: relocation cannot proceed unless at least 90% of community members agree to move. This threshold makes relocation a community-driven process. Even when government assessments identify serious risks, such as landslide hazards, the community decides whether to relocate.
Leaving land where families have lived for generations is a profound choice, especially when climate impacts may not yet be fully visible. The policy approach recognizes this and stresses the need for full information and meaningful consultation before any move. Communities receive information about risks and options and then decide whether to request relocation.
This community-centered approach keeps planned relocation as a process based on collective consent, rather than one driven only by government decisions.
Implications for climate-induced migration
Fiji’s planned relocation and displacement policies respond to climate-induced migration with procedures that place community rights and participation at the center. The combination of guidelines, standard procedures, a dedicated trust fund, and displacement standards provides a structure for planning moves in advance, rather than reacting only after disasters.
These policies are often cited in discussions on climate change and human mobility, as other countries face similar pressures from sea level rise and extreme weather. Fiji’s policy framework shows one way a national government can work with communities to plan for movement and support people whose homes and livelihoods are at risk from climate change.
Acknowledgements
This report is based on publicly available information on Fiji’s planned relocation and displacement policy frameworks.
Related information
- Fiji Climate Change Portal (FCCP): Regional Talanoa on Climate Induced Planned Relocation
https://fijiclimatechangeportal.gov.fj/ppss/regional-talanoa-on-climate-induced-planned-relocation/
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