Vice President Faisal Naseem has concluded his trip to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, to attend the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) and returned to Malé City. He was accompanied on the trip by a high-level delegation of government officials.
During the trip, Vice President Naseem attended the opening ceremony of the COP27 where he delivered the national statement from the Maldives and called for global solidarity in the face of climate change. He stated that despite the negligible contributions from the Maldives to the causes of climate change, it would be impossible for Maldivians to respond effectively to them without global support.
Furthermore, Vice President Naseem met with world leaders and high-level delegates during the trip. He also called on the developed world to recognise their contributions to climate change and take responsibility while speaking at the Innovative Finance for Climate and Development high-level roundtable held as part of COP27. He also addressed the high-level roundtable on Climate Change and the Sustainability of Vulnerable Communities. In addition, he gave a keynote at the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and Vulnerable Group of 20 (V20) event held on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).
During the visit, Vice President Naseem met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Professor Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, where the Grand Imam assured that he would offer the Maldives more short-term training, scholarship opportunities, and teachers. He also met with the Maldivian student population at Al-Azhar University.