The University of Guam will move forward with its flagship Conference on Island Sustainability (CIS2026) this year following the passing of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, underscoring the event’s regional importance and resilience in the face of severe weather.
The UOG Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant (UOG CIS & Sea Grant), who produce the annual event, announced that all Guam-based sessions of the 2026 conference will proceed as scheduled, and that the previously announced CNMI sessions would be shifted towards assisting with recovery efforts.
The annual conference draws researchers, policymakers, and community leaders from across Micronesia and beyond to address pressing environmental and sustainability challenges unique to island communities. This year’s gathering will include presentations, panel discussions, and collaborative sessions focused on climate resilience, renewable energy, food security, sustainable development and more with the theme — Illuminating the Path to Prosperity.
There will also be a particular focus on storm resilience featuring presentations and panels with key recovery representatives on Guam.
Conference co-chairs UOG President Anita Borja Enriquez D.B.A and Governor Lourdes Leon Guerrero both agreed to proceed with the conference as planned, emanating from the Hyatt Regency Guam in Tumon from April 20th to the 24th.
Galvin Deleon Guerrero Ed.D, the president of the Northern Marianas College, a partner for this year’s conference, says that proceeding with CIS2026 needs to happen.
“With the utter devastation wreaked by Super Typhoon Sinlaku on the Marianas, there are some concerns about moving forward with events like UOG’s Conference on Island Sustainability. Those concerned worry that proceeding with the conference might be perceived as tone deaf while many in the Northern Marianas have lost their homes, are enduring the complete collapse of basic infrastructure, and are suffering without power, running water, and basic necessities. However, that suffering should not be an excuse to stand down but, rather, a reason to stand up,” said Deleon Guerrero. “Now, more than ever, we must maintain vigilance against ignorance and politics by calling attention to the tragic impact that human-caused climate change is having on the most vulnerable, marginalized communities in the world. Now is the time to stand in solidarity with all victims of climate injustice by speaking truth to power and telling the world our story: a story of fierce, resilient people who are tired of being victimized and are stepping up to take charge of their own destiny. Now is not the time to fall silent; now is the time to speak up and fight.”
Despite the disruption, the situation highlights the very issues at the heart of the gathering—namely, the vulnerability of island communities to extreme weather and the urgent need for coordinated regional responses.
Preconference events including the Guam Power Authority’s Power Symposium, The Micronesia Challenge Regional Meeting, the Southern Guam Soil and Water Conservation District’s Guam Educators Conservation Summit and Guam NSF EPSCoR Grant Writing Workshop are all slated to proceed as scheduled as well.
The Conference on Island Sustainability remains one of the premier forums in the Pacific for advancing research and solutions tailored to island environments, and organizers say this year’s modified focus will continue to foster collaboration across the region—even as communities contend with the realities of a changing climate.
Registration is open with special rates for students and teachers from all over Micronesia.
Online registration, the CIS2026 agenda and more information is available online at UOG.edu/cis2026.