President H.E. Dr Mohamed Muizzu urges SIDS and regional and international stakeholders to explore collaborative partnerships to turn SIDS4's ambitious objectives into tangible climate action. He made the remarks while delivering his keynote address today at the side event "From Ambition to Practice: Advancing SIDS4 Goals Through the Climate Smart Resilient Island (CSRI) Initiative" at the Fourth International Conference on SIDS (SIDS4) in Antigua and Barbuda.
President Dr Muizzu noted that despite their small size, SIDS demonstrate remarkable resilience and unwavering determination. He urged governments to take ambitious action to address the climate crisis, emphasising that continuing "business-as-usual" practices is not enough.
In his statement, he noted that the Climate Smart Resilient Island (CSRI) Initiative, spearheaded by the Maldives, is an initiative that connects SIDS and development partners for inter-regional collaboration, utilising the unique geographies and streamlining development efforts through peer learning across island nations, to deliver a holistic approach to the adverse effects of climate change.
The President concluded his remarks by emphasising and encouraging ways to help safeguard the future of SIDS by supporting initiatives that bring about realistic solutions, moving beyond incremental progress towards transformational adaptation, and enhancing the well-being of SIDS communities.
The "From Ambition to Practice: Advancing SIDS4 goals through the Climate Smart Resilient Island (CSRI) Initiative" event was organised by the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
