The Maldives and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have discussed working together to ensure the success of the upcoming 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) to be held in Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12. The discussions were held during a courtesy call paid by the Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
At the meeting, President Solih welcomed Minister Almheiri to the Maldives and conveyed greetings and good wishes to the leaders of the UAE. He also noted that the Maldives highly values its long-standing fraternal bonds of friendship with the UAE, rooted in Islamic and cultural links and our shared values. Minister Almheiri applauded the administration's leadership and emphasised some of the outstanding initiatives to combat climate change, such as the net-zero target by 2030.
During the meeting, President Solih expressed his hopes that the process of the Global Stocktake to evaluate the progress of the implementation of the Paris Agreement would produce strong outcomes. Reiterating the support for the UAE's presidency of COP28, President Solih expressed confidence in the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund, which was agreed upon at COP27. Minister Almheiri noted that it is a matter of importance that will be addressed during COP28. She also highlighted the UAE's continued efforts to bolster adaptation and mitigation plans to counter the impact of climate change.
The Maldives and the UAE established diplomatic relations on March 15, 1978.