This Discussion Paper was commissioned by the Nansen Initiative to assist Pacific Island countries in their efforts to follow up on the outcomes from the May 2013 Nansen Initiative Pacific Regional Consultation, hosted by the Government of the Cook Islands (see Nansen Initiative, 2013). In the Outcome Document from the consultation in Rarotonga, participants recalled the 2008 Niue Declaration on Climate Change emphasizing the importance of retaining the Pacific's social and cultural identity and the desire of Pacific people to continue to remain in their own countries, where possible. Thus, the Document stresses that abandoning one's own country is the least preferred measure.