Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed has stated the Government of the Maldives is committed to increasing the involvement of women in the efforts to stop climate change. The foreign secretary made the statement while speaking at the virtual high-level event on the Action Coalition on Feminist Action for Climate Justice, which took place during the Generation Equality Forum.
In his statement, Foreign Secretary Ghafoor outlined the commitments of the Maldives under the four actions laid out in the blueprint of the Feminist Action for Climate Justice. Ghafoor said the Maldives is committed to expanding the fiscal authorities given to local councils and women's development councils towards climate-related funding, as well as increasing women in leadership and policy-formulation positions. The government is building capacity at the community level and with grassroots actors to engage, through tools and resources, in climate related planning processes, and improving data collection with the aim of exploring climate impacts in terms of loss and damage, specifically the impacts on women and women-led enterprises, he added.
He further acknowledged the disproportionate effect climate change has on women and reiterated the commitment of the Maldives to reaching full equality for women in actions to address climate change.
The Generation Equality Forum was convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the Governments of France and Mexico in partnership with civil society and youth organisations. Out of the six Action Coalitions established under the Forum, the Maldives and Costa Rica co-leads the Action Coalition on Feminist Action for Climate Justice.