The Maldives has partnered with Parley for the Oceans, in the fight against the proliferation of plastic pollution in the oceans.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced this while speaking at a function held in Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York on Wednesday, where he emphasized that Maldives’ traditions, way of life and the Dhivehi language have been "heavily influenced by the sea.”
He also stressed that protecting “this special resource is linked to the very survival of the Maldives.”
“Ocean pollution not only threatens to compromise the two major industries that form the bedrock of the Maldives’ economy, tourism and fisheries but threatens to decimate the coral reefs that form our very islands. To us, this is an existential crisis"President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
The president also highlighted that his administration’s foreign policy, since taking office last November, has focused on raising environmental issues such as the ocean’s health.
"We have thus far undertaken several measures intended to reduce and ultimately eliminate single-use plastic in the workplace and in consumer lifestyles. Our aim is for the Maldives to become plastic-free by the year 2023"
Solih first announced the country’s decision to phase out single-use plastic by 2023 during his address at the 74th United Nations General Assembly, where he noted that “this will be one of the most far-reaching and ambitious plastics phase-out plans of any nation on Earth.”
Furthermore, he called on businesses to change their practices, at Cooper Hewitt Museum, and urged them to “avoid plastic packaging and embrace the use of environmentally-responsible materials.”
He also called on the international community, especially businesses enterprises, to do their “due diligence” in regulating their businesses to reduce their plastic products output.
While Solih had revealed a plan -climate smart resilient islands- during the Climate Action Summit earlier this week, stressing that Maldives “is determined to drive [a] solution,” he also emphasized on the country’s pursuit to position itself as a global “champion of change.”
“Realistically, however, our sole efforts will not suffice. The scale of the problem is too large. The spread of plastic waste in our ocean is a borderless issue that demands a concerted global effort in response”President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Also at the function, President Solih praised Parley for the Oceans for its efforts to raise awareness of the fragility of the ocean and highlighted that the organization “truly understands how deeply ocean health is entwined with human security.”
Through this partnership, Maldives will support the implementation of the Parley AIR Strategy: Avoid plastic where possible by education and communication and offering alternative solutions to single-use plastic; Intercept plastic waste and channel it to reuse, reducing the production of virgin plastic; and Redesign and create alternative and new solutions with new material technologies and new product design.
PARLEY FUTURE ISLAND NATION
Maldives was also named as the first “Parley Future Island Nation” at the SDG Business Forum Discussion: Scaling Ambition on Wednesday.
Speaking on the significance of this, Solih made clear that this honour “reflects Malduves’ bold and unprecedented efforts to build a blue economy, one that is tailored to ensure economic growth in harmony with the preservation of Maldives’ ocean’s natu7ral bounty and pristine beauty.”
“The Maldives’ brand is becoming synonymous with eco-innovation, showing our commitment to take care of our oceans; preserving its resources and appeal for our millions of tourist visitors every year and towards fulfilling our responsibilities towards future generations,”President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
