Vulnerable countries are committed to resolve the climate crisis, “because we know we will not survive its worst impacts” says Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aminath Shauna.

Speaking at the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), Commonwealth High-Level panel discussion on the sidelines of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, the Maldivian minister stated that the planet does not have room for negotiations and that “we have to agree” and “start delivering”, not “plan to deliver”.

The high-level meeting saw President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih joined by the Speaker of Parliament and Former President Mohamed Nasheed, when Minister Shauna briefed the position and priorities of Maldives, in the climate emergency.

Chaired by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, the panel discussion was also attended by the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Baroness Patricia Scotland as well as other state leaders and dignitaries.

Baroness Patricia revealed that the event was the first high-level dialogues between the Climate Vulnerable Forum comprising of 48 member states, representing 1.2 billion people and the Commonwealth of Nations comprising of 54 member states representing 2.5 billion people.

Founded at an initiative of the Maldives’ government before the COP15 conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009, the Climate Vulnerable Forum was hosted on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Pavilion at COP26, as part of the “Commonwealth for Climate” series of events.