Maldives partners with Parley, to protect the oceans linked to the country's "very survival"

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.”

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.

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.”

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.

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.”