Speaking at the “UN Trade Forum: SDGs and Climate Change” held on 9th September in Geneva, Switzerland, Minister of Environment Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan said that if sustainable development goals need to be achieved, the old habits have to die and some unwanted sacrifices need to be made.
He also stressed that after the agreement in Paris in 2015, the world has now switched its gear to implementation of this agreement. And Maldives being a country heavily relying on tourism and import market, we will have economic impacts due to climate change. To address these issues, a strong bond between the public and private sector is crucial, especially to attract foreign investments.
He also mentioned that relying heavily on one or two major sectors in not healthy for a country and highlighted the importance of economic diversification for a smooth transition to a low carbon economy.
Minister of Environment Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan is attending this meeting as a special envoy of the President Mr. Ibrahim Mohamed Salih for a special invitation by the Secretary-General of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). This forum will be held from 9 to 13 in Geneva and will explore linkages between trade, climate change, and oceans economy under the lens of sustainable development goals, especially in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
