Maldives ex-pres. selected as a thematic ambassador for CVF

Parliament Speaker and former President, Mohamed Nasheed has been selected as a “thematic ambassador” of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF).

Nasheed was informed of this via a letter sent by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, AK Abdul Momen.

The Climate Vulnerable Forum is an international cooperation group of developing countries tackling global climate change. The Forum serves as a South-South cooperation platform for participating governments to act together to deal with global climate change. Its membership includes 48 developing countries from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific. Since 2015, the forum’s finance ministers also collaborate on climate issues under the banner of “Vulnerable Twenty Group” or V20.

The Forum has a rotating chairmanship that has been held by Maldives, Kiribati, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Philippines, Ethiopia, and the Marshall Islands.

Bangladesh assumed the presidency of the 48-nation Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20 Group of finance ministers, back in June. While Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will serve as the chair of CVF, appointing thematic envoys and special envoys is one of its tasks.

Bangladesh indicated that its work within the V20 would ‘continue to aim at mobilizing the economy and financial resources to fight climate change, to engage major economies and to ensure international financial institutions are better positioned to respond to climate threats and provide the right support to those most vulnerable’.

Minister Momen said that the decision to appoint Nasheed as a thematic ambassador was made based on his work in addressing climate change. His letter highlighted some of the former president’s contributions, during presidency.

The first meeting of the CVF was held in November 2009, in Maldives. While this was during Nasheed’s presidency, he took part in the said forum and gave a keynote address. There, Nasheed called on developing countries to ‘break away from carbon-based growth and embrace green technology as a way to shame larger polluters to clean up their act’.

Noting that “a group of vulnerable, developing countries committed to carbon neutral development would send a loud message to the outside world,” Nasheed had questioned “what excuse can the rich have for continuing inaction?” if those with the least start doing the most.

The former president participated in the forum in 2018 as well.

Former President Nasheed is recognized around the world for his environmental work, winning several awards in recognition, including Time Magazine's 'Hero of the Environment' title in 2009.

Also in 2009, he made a splash after holding a cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the threat of global warming.