Fiji, Oct. 13 -- Tuvalu's Minister for Transport, Energy, Communications and Innovation, Simon Kofe, has delivered a blunt message ahead of the Extraordinary Session of the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) - the world can no longer afford delays in protecting vulnerable nations from the climate crisis.

"At the close of MEPC 83 at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Tuvalu and our 6PAC+ allies abstained. That choice was not a retreat, but a message.

We could not endorse a framework that delayed justice and left vulnerable nations unprotected. Abstention was the only way to register our profound disappointment in both the process and the outcome," Kofe said.

"But disapp...