Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I extend our gratitude to the government and people of Azerbaijan for the exceptional hospitality and leadership.
We pledge our full support to ensure the success of this COP.
We also congratulate the UAE for its successful COP28 Presidency.
Vulnerable. This is how the Maldives is often portrayed.
But, we are a nation of extraordinary fortitude.
We speak not from desperation. But from a belief in the power of collective action.
Our story is not one of fragility. It is a testament to resilience, leadership, and international cooperation.
Since hosting the first Small States Conference, 35 years ago, we have called for stronger climate action.
Our call has not changed. Our course has not strayed.
Because, for us, the environment and the ocean, are more than resources.
They form our cultural identity.
Their protection remains our sacred duty.
At COP28, I shared my vision for a climate-resilient Maldives.
Despite formidable challenges, we are now seeing the dawn of hope.
We recently launched our Energy Policy and Roadmap,
Green initiatives to strengthen food security and affordable housing, and,
Economic diversification through expanding port services, Special Economic Zones, in addition to new development banking unlocking new investment opportunities.
We will soon unveil our 20-year vision, the blueprint for a sustainable, climate resilient developed nation by 2040.
Mr. President,
It is the lack of finance that inhibits our ambitions.
Which is why, at this COP – the finance COP - we need to deliver!
The new climate finance goal must reflect the true scale of the climate crisis - The need is in trillions, not billions.
It must consider the special circumstances of Small Island Developing States.
It must include adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage, and increase contributions to it.
As we approach the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions, developed nations must increase their ambition to close the emissions and finance gap. And align with the 1.5°C goal.
Mr. President,
As we look around the globe, we see funds flowing freely to wage war, but scrutinised when it’s for climate adaptation.
We need to reprioritise.
Revise the international financial systems.
We must choose the path that changes lives, not the climate.
My delegation here is determined that the finance goal should be scored, right here in Azerbaijan.
Mr President,
28 COPs later, emissions still rise, finance falls still short, and our hope fades;
Let us prove this time it will be different.
I thank you.