- Minister Iruthisham Adam called for long-term, affordable and predictable financing for small states while co-chairing the Commonwealth Ministerial Meeting on Small States in Antigua and Barbuda.
- She urged closer cooperation with financial institutions, development partners and the private sector on climate resilience, energy transition, trade, debt sustainability and digital transformation.
- The Minister emphasised partnerships respecting sovereignty under the Maldives First Foreign Policy and highlighted candidatures for the UN Human Rights Council and Security Council.
The Maldives has called for better access to long-term, affordable and predictable financing for small states, with Minister of Foreign Affairs Iruthisham Adam urging international partners to match climate commitments with the resources needed to deliver them.
Minister Iruthisham made the appeal while co-chairing the Commonwealth Ministerial Meeting on Small States in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, on 1 November. She chaired the meeting alongside Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Barbuda Affairs, E.P. Chet Greene, ahead of the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The discussions focused on expanding partnerships and investment to strengthen the resilience of small states.
Minister Iruthisham called for closer cooperation with international financial institutions, development partners and the private sector to increase investment in climate resilience, the energy transition, trade, debt sustainability and digital transformation.
She also urged stronger advocacy through existing frameworks, including the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for Small Island Developing States, known as ABAS. Her remarks placed access to finance alongside the practical support countries need to turn international commitments into national programmes.
Beyond financing, Minister Iruthisham highlighted the need to expand successful national initiatives, strengthen technical assistance and retain expertise so that development programmes produce lasting results.
Setting out the Maldives’ approach to cooperation, she said partnerships should respect sovereignty and national priorities, reflecting the principles of the Maldives First Foreign Policy. She also called for Commonwealth cooperation to operate through clear objectives, measurable progress and shared responsibility.
Representation in international decision-making was another priority raised by the Minister. She highlighted the Maldives’ candidatures for the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2028–2030 term and the United Nations Security Council for the 2033–2034 term, stressing the importance of ensuring that small states have a voice in global institutions.
The meeting brought Commonwealth members together to discuss shared development priorities and cooperation. Minister Iruthisham and Minister Greene delivered the opening and closing remarks, while Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne gave a special address. Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey also addressed the meeting.
