President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said development and climate resilience are inseparable for small island developing states, and that adequate concessional financial assistance is needed to overcome the vulnerabilities they face.
The President made the remarks at the "High-Level Roundtable on the Second Decade of the Paris Agreement: Accelerating Implementation and Access to Finance", held on the sidelines of the ongoing COP31 Leaders' Summit in Antalya, Türkiye.
In his address, the President said the challenges climate change poses to small island states were clearly visible. He said the Maldives had spent years developing financially sound projects to ensure climate resilience, making it a development goal and advocating for it at various international forums. However, he noted that the international financial system offered very limited opportunities to implement such measures successfully, forcing small island states such as the Maldives to take on debt to carry out these projects and ensure the safety of their people and countries.
The President said small island states could not address these challenges alone and that a coordinated international effort was needed. He said climate financing must provide appropriate solutions to the vulnerabilities, challenges and financial constraints faced by small island states. He also said that not all small island states could be assessed by the same yardstick, and that a country's economy must not be the sole measure of its vulnerability.
The President highlighted the approaches taken by Antigua and Barbuda, a small island state, to address these issues. These included establishing climate-resilient systems, expanding access to adequate concessional financial assistance, including funding for climate adaptation, and further strengthening the international support needed to ensure sustainable development and climate resilience. He welcomed the Bridge Initiative, established to facilitate these efforts.
Concluding his address, the President noted that 20 years had passed since the Paris Agreement was drawn up and called on countries to remain steadfast in upholding the principles agreed upon at the time. He also said world leaders must fulfil their pledges and that their role would be judged by their efforts on behalf of the most vulnerable in such circumstances.
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