Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef has said the response to rising sea levels cannot be retreat, but must be building resilience, as he called for stronger international action to protect vulnerable island states.
Addressing a high-level plenary meeting on the existential threats posed by sea level rise at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Vice President said the Maldives had raised the issue at the UN nearly four decades ago.
He recalled the 1989 Male' Declaration on Global Warming and Sea Level Rise, saying the warning had since become more urgent as rising seas increasingly threaten infrastructure, livelihoods, economies and development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Vice President identified three areas requiring greater international action: financing adaptation, strengthening legal protections and integrating resilience into development planning.
On climate finance, he called for adaptation funding for SIDS to be delivered at scale and to be predictable, accessible and largely grant-based or highly concessional.
He also stressed the importance of ensuring that funding reaches vulnerable countries early enough to reduce risks, rather than after climate-related damage has occurred.
The Vice President called for a dedicated mechanism to observe and monitor sea level rise, arguing that the international community cannot effectively address a threat that it cannot adequately measure.
On international law, Latheef said rising sea levels should not undermine countries' lawful baselines, maritime zones or state entitlements.
He said changes in geography should not affect statehood, sovereignty or UN membership, stressing that while physical geography may change, a country's legal identity must remain protected.
He also called for resilience to be incorporated into national development planning, including infrastructure and economic strategies.
He said the Maldives was already integrating such measures through its third Nationally Determined Contribution, while urging development partners to support efforts to scale up resilience investments.
Concluding his statement, Vice President said the threat posed by sea level rise required sustained international attention and called on countries to turn existing commitments into practical action to strengthen resilience and protect future generations.