President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has called on all countries to band together to assist the most climate-vulnerable states to adapt to climate change. He made the remarks while delivering the national statement at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) World Leaders Summit.
Speaking to world leaders and dignitaries at the summit, President Solih expressed disappointment of the Maldives with the lack of realisation of previously-made assurances. The president alluded to red tape, required studies, and paperwork that render the urgency of the situation ineffective. He urged world leaders to agree on stringent accountability measures to ensure that commitments on climate finance are met for vulnerable countries such as the Maldives to stand a chance of survival. He also reminded world leaders that this may be the last chance that the world has to get ahead of climate change and that therefore, no country can let this opportunity go to waste.
The Maldives announced ambitious plans to reach net-zero by 2030 with international support, at the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2019. The Maldives is a founding member of Parley for the Oceans Future Island Nation programme and has taken crucial measures to reduce and eliminate the use of single-use plastics in the country, aiming to become a fully plastic-free nation by 2023.
Furthermore, the climate-smart resilient islands plans of the Maldives were formulated as a holistic plan encompassing achievable targets for low-lying small island nations to address the effects of climate change. The plan prioritises building a sustainable society that harmonises with fragile ecosystems while conserving eco-rich areas and rapidly transitioning to renewable energy sources.