President calls for urgent, united action on sea-level rise

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has called on the international community to work together to take urgent action on climate change and sea-level rise.

The President made this appeal while delivering the Maldives' statement at the High-Level Plenary Meeting on Addressing the Existential Threats Posed by Sea-Level Rise.

In his statement, the President highlighted three steps that could be taken to increase the financial resources needed for climate change adaptation.

First, the President stated that the gap between climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts must be narrowed. He also called for facilitating access to funds and securing financing in line with the decisions made regarding SIDS in Antigua and Barbuda.

Second, he emphasized the need to operationalize the "Loss and Damage Fund." In this regard, he noted the importance of the "Loss and Damage Fund" for countries like the Maldives, which are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Third, he highlighted the facilitation of relevant technology transfer. He reminded advanced economies of their responsibility to provide relevant technologies to Small Island Developing States to enable them to effectively implement climate action.

Furthermore, he noted the important role of the private sector in enhancing technological capabilities in coastal communities and low-lying countries to build climate resilience.

Concluding his remarks, the President noted that a significant portion of the Maldives' budget has to be spent on protecting the country from the impacts of climate change, and emphasized the critical need to be able to allocate those funds to other national development priorities instead.