A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the governments of Maldives and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The MoU was signed as part of Minister of Climate Change and Environment of UAE Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri’s recent visit to the Maldives.

Signed by Minister Almheiri on behalf of the UAE government and Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan on behalf of the Maldivian government, the MoU aims to promote cooperation between the two countries in the field of fisheries, marine resources and agriculture and its development and advancement, in a bid to enhance food security.

Minister Almheiri’s recent visit to Maldives saw meetings with officials of the Maldivian government, where discussions were held on the bilateral relations between the two countries in food security as well as the preparations by the UAE government to host the upcoming 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) to be held in Expo City Dubai from November 30, to December 12.

As part of the visit, Minister Almheiri paid a courtesy call on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the fisheries minister as well as the Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Aminath Shauna.

During her call on the president, discussions were held on working jointly to ensure the success of COP28.

President Solih highlighted that the Maldivian government highly values its long-standing fraternal bonds of friendship with the UAE, rooted in Islamic and cultural links and shared values and expressed hope that the process of the Global Stocktake to evaluate the progress of the implementation of the Paris Agreement would produce strong outcomes.

Minister Almheiri praised the president’s leadership and shed light on some of the administration's outstanding initiatives to combat climate change, such as the Maldives' net-zero target by 2030.

Expressing support for the UAE’s presidency of COP28, President Solih expressed confidence in the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, which was agreed upon at the COP27.

Minister Almheiri noted that this would be addressed during COP28 as it is a matter of importance.

She added that UAE continues its efforts to bolster adaptation and mitigation plans to counter the impact of climate change.

During her meeting with Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan, discussions revolved around areas of collaboration, investment opportunities and trade of products in both countries.

The bilateral relations between Maldives and UAE was a topic of discussions during her meeting with Minister Shauna as well.

Taking to Twitter following their meeting, Minister Shauna noted that discussions were held on ways to make COP28 a success, enhancing cooperation in the areas of renewable energy, waste management as well as investing in resilience through better management of protected areas.

Diplomatic relations between the Maldives and UAE were established on 15 March 1978.