AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Pacific leaders will highlight the threat that rising seas pose to low-lying nations at a regional forum in Auckland this week attended by the heads of the United Nations and the European Commission.

The annual Pacific Islands Forum, a 15-nation grouping usually dominated by Australia and New Zealand, has attracted a heavyweight guest list this year, partly because it occurs on the eve of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

In addition to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, and US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides will make the trip to Auckland.