President Solih's plea; Maldives' future depends on your decisions today, please make the right ones
Solih said that the current climate finance landscape is a maze that deters the very countries that it is meant to support
Statement by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the Commonwealth Leaders’ Summit held in Glasgow, Scotland
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Tuesday delivered his statement at the Commonwealth Leaders’ Summit held in Glasgow, Scotland on the sidelines of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26).
Addressing state leaders and dignitaries at the summit, the Maldivian president pleaded to make the right decisions, as the future of Maldives depends heavily on the decisions of today.
The president stated that millions across the globe are suffering because of climate change, stressing that if the right decisions here and now are not made, billions more will suffer, including the entire population of the Maldives who will be stripped of their livelihoods, their identity and their homes.
Highlighting that Maldives faces the catastrophic impacts of climate change through rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions, the president stated that the globe is currently enveloped in unprecedented challenges aggravated by the climate emergency.
The Maldivian president added that Maldivians, who are working day in and out “to live a life of dignity”, face the real threat of ending up as climate refugees, stating that the Maldivian people deserve a safe place to live, “as much as anyone else in this room”.
Stressing that there has never been a more important time for global friendship than now, Solih stated that climate change poses a real threat to the security, prosperity, and socio-economic development of all people and is not just an environmental issue.
Urging the global leaders to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to limit the global temperature increase of this century to below 1.5 degrees, Solih also pushed them to ensure assistance pledged to help Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to overcome their vulnerability does not remain just “numbers on paper”.
President Solih stated that ensuring the resources including food, safe drinking water and shelter, that are key for survival are accessible to all, is very important at this stage.
Further, he stated that a collaborative common approach may be the single biggest contribution this organization can make to address climate change as a platform that includes over 30 small states.
