Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has assured Maldives will always be at the forefront of global action to stop and reverse the negative effects of climate change. The foreign minister made the remarks delivering the keynote address at the roundtable discussion on Climate Change, Migration and Displacement at the Berlin Climate and Security Conference 2019.
During the statement, the minister highlighted the negative impacts of climate change over the past short period of time. In this regard, he mentioned the biggest impacts are caused on low lying countries such as Maldives.
Shedding light on the damages caused by the Indian Ocean Tsunami which occurred in 2004, the foreign minister mentioned it is important for all to try to imagine the tragedy of the families that lost members to the tsunami and to try to imagine oneself in the shoes of the people who endured such tragic loss and suffering. Unless such situations are experienced or imagine, the leaders will continue to listen to more speeches on the catastrophic impacts of climate change, with no action, the minister said.
Furthermore, the foreign minister said there is no time to wait without taking any actions to listen for speeches and debates since countries like Maldives which are hugely impacted by the changes simply do not have the luxury of waiting and hoping. He reiterated the call for urgent action assuring Maldives will always be at the forefront of global action to stop and reverse the negative effects of climate change. He expressed Maldives is fully committed to achieving the Nationally Determined Contributions (NCDs), expressing hope to make meaningful contributions to the upcoming High-level Climate Action Summit scheduled to be held in New York later in the year.
On conclusion, the Maldivian foreign minister firmly called for decisive and urgent action to reverse the trends of climate change.