One of the most precarious challenges facing the Maldives, other SIDS is climate change: FM

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has stated that climate change is the "most precarious" challenge facing the Maldives.

The minister made the statement while speaking at the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Baku, Azerbaijan on Saturday.

His statement during the summit touched on two key topics; climate change and terrorism.

During his speech, Minister Shahid highlighted that "global warming has a cascading effect" and that the consequences of climate change will "know neither states nor boundaries". He further noted that there will be 200 million climate refugees by the end of 2050 according to the world banks' estimates and that small islands such as the Maldives are at-risk. Hence, he emphasized the importance of member countries of the NAM to address climate change.

While speaking on the topic of terrorism, the minister stated that there is no easy solution and that it requires the international community to come together and tackle the issue in a thorough manner. He also highlighted the importance of documenting root causes.

Furthermore, he expressed Maldives' support for the political declaration of the NAM on Palestine stating that the Maldives will "continue this call until every Palestinian can live and lead a civilized life with peace and dignity."

The foreign minister went on to condemn Israel's "aggressive settlement regime" against Palestine, and stressed that Israel is sabotaging the two-state solution.

The 18th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of NAM, held from 25-26 of October, was attended by 120 countries, with the theme of “Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of the contemporary world”

NAM was founded in 1961 during the fall of colonialization in the continents of Africa, Asia, and Latin America when the Cold War was at its peak.