His Excellency Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives, participated in a Ministerial-level meeting on climate and security organized by the Group of Friends on Climate and Security on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
During the meeting, Minister Shahid delivered a statement highlighting the correlation between climate change and security. He stressed that the Maldives, having a higher exposure to the effects of climate change, would suffer from a loss of jobs, territory, and livelihoods. He further commended the work of the Group of Friends in raising the issue within the United Nations and, as a result, gaining wider acknowledgment from the international community that climate change does pose a serious threat to global peace and security. He also highlighted the efforts undertaken by the Government of Maldives to ensure the commitments under the Paris Agreement remain on track while making sure the country commits to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as early as possible. He reiterated President Solih’s announcement that the Maldives is committed to phasing out single-use plastics by 2023 to help preserve the health of the ocean.
At the end of the meeting, Minister Shahid co-signed a joint position requesting the Secretary-General of the United Nations to provide regular reporting on climate-related security risks to Member States and recommended actions to take.
The Group of Friends on Climate and Security was formed on 1 August 2018 with the intention to cooperate and develop solutions for the impact of climate change on security policy, raise public awareness and boost the involvement of the United Nations in this area. It is made up of 27 Member States from all regional groups.