Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid has called on the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), to stand united in responding to the call by Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres for a green recovery from the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
In his statement at the virtual event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of AOSIS on Friday, the Maldives minister stressed that the global pandemic must not halt the alliance’s momentum on climate action and the adoption of the SG’s proposed climate actions to shape economic recovery.
Stating that building back better is building back greener, FM Shahid noted that small island states are facing the danger of losing several development gains made over the years, in the face of the unprecedented challenges of Covid-19, along with the existing climate change issues.
He added that it is becoming clearer that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will need support from the international community to recover from the pandemic and went on to express gratitude to partners who have extended generous financial, technical and materialistic support during the crisis.
Further, he stated that Maldives is proud to be an AOSIS member since its inception and is honored to have chaired the alliance from 2015-2018.
FM Shahid said that despite the anniversary providing an opportunity to praise the progress made, AOSIS still has “much work” left to do, especially in the face of the new challenges posed by the pandemic.
The Malé Declaration on global warming and sea level rise, laid the foundation for the Alliance of Small Island States. An alliance that brought all of us together on the issues that threatened our lives and livelihoods. An alliance that provided a strong voice for the easily marginalized voices of Small Island States. An alliance that lobbied for the recognition of SIDS as a “special case for sustainable development” in 1992, due to their size, remoteness, insularity and vulnerability to external shocks. An alliance that is made up of countries that continue to raise awareness about the impacts of global challenges that require global solutions”Abdulla Shahid, Maldives Foreign Minister
Highlighting that Maldives will submit updated NDCs in 2020, FM Shahid commended the AOSIS Chair’s leadership in generating momentum for ramping up NDCs, in our united efforts to reach the 1.5 degrees target.
The minister called on partners in the developed world to provide adequate and innovative financing, including by meeting the goal of mobilizing USD 100 billion per year until 2020 to support climate action. This must be done so that small islands are able to adapt to life in a changing climate.
We must solicit support for a ‘SIDS Compact’ that entails specific financial instruments in the short, medium and long term to help SIDS meet the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, service their debt, and increase their limited fiscal space. We welcome the G20’s announcement of a Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the debt service suspension initiative. However, more concrete steps are also needed to allow vulnerable countries to reduce their debt burdens. One such measure could be the early implementation of the tangible proposals from the initiative by Jamaica, Canada and the Secretary-General on financing for development in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.”Abdulla Shahid, Maldives Foreign Minister
Maldives foreign minister highlighted the tireless work being carried out since the founding of AOSIS to promote the issues most important to SIDS and called on the alliance to continues its call for a “transformative response” to our unique challenges, for the next 30 years and beyond.
This is important as providing solidarity and collective action within AOSIS is required to address the many challenges facing SIDS and because global efforts, leadership and partnerships are required to provide solutions for global crises, added the minister.
