FIFA President Gianni Infantino has attended the United Nations COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, where FIFA and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) agreed to continue their agreement to work together to combat climate change. Mr Infantino and the PIF Secretary General Baron Waqa, a former President of Nauru, extended a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), first signed during the 72nd FIFA Congress in Doha, Qatar, on 1 April 2022, for another four years with the FIFA President saying that it will use the power of football to educate and bring people together.

The partnership with PIF, the premier political intergovernmental organisation representing 18 countries and territories of the Pacific Ocean, will see the two organisations continue working together to enhance awareness of climate change and find ways of ensuring that football development in the region is climate-resilient.

Following the extension of the MoU, FIFA and the PIF will together explore ways of promoting gender equality through women’s football and football at schools, and of using football as a tool for enhancing health and wellness across the Pacific, focusing on physical activity and community engagement to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

“I am proud and delighted to announce that FIFA and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), in the presence of PIF Secretary General Baron Waqa, have extended our Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a further four years,” said Mr Infantino, who visited all eleven of Oceania’s FIFA Member Associations in 2023. “Climate change is an issue that affects us all and is one of the biggest challenges we face. That is particularly true in the Pacific region, which is among those most adversely affected by changes to the earth’s climate. “FIFA is supporting the Oceania FIFA Member Associations in climate-resilient football development and will continue to stand side-by-side with the PIF to help raise the issues directly affecting its members by embracing the unique power of football to educate, to inspire, and to unite the world.”

The FIFA President attended the COP29 summit at the invitation of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and also met various heads of state and government stakeholders. The summit is taking place at the Baku Stadium which hosts matches for the Azerbaijan men's national team, staged the UEFA Europa League final 2018/19 and was a venue for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.

"I discussed the future of our planet, as well as that of football, with President Aliyev and the many heads of state and government stakeholders present for this conference, which was held inside a football stadium, once more representing football's power to unite," Mr Infantino said. "As an international organisation, FIFA takes its responsibility to protect the environment and climate seriously. We have developed and implemented programmes to support and contribute to climate action through investments in different internationally certified projects of the highest quality. "I was further pleased to conclude that everyone present has a common objective: our children and their collective future. FIFA will continue playing its part in the important global issue of climate change."