As the chair of The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Maldives has held the first Plenary meeting of 2018.
Priorities for the year include United Nations Development System Reform, SAMOA Pathway Review, Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), Sustainable Development, Oceans and Climate Change.
AOSIS is a coalition of small island and low-lying coastal countries that share similar development challenges and concerns about the environment, especially the vulnerability to the adverse effects of global climate change. It functions primarily as an ad hoc lobby and negotiating voice for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) within the United Nations system.
Maldives assumed the Chairmanship of the Alliance of AOSIS on January 1, 2015.