Excellencies,
For the Maldives sea-level rise is not a future concern.
It is the reality that is already shaping our development planning infrastructure investments, and long-term national priorities.
As a low-lying Small Island Developing State, we are highly aware that sea-level rise presents profound questions.
Questions about the future of our communities’ territories’ livelihoods and the rights of our people.
It challenges not only physical security but also the ability of our people to maintain our homes cultures identities and connections to places.
Yet even with these challenges, one principle remains clear. The challenges we face do not reduce our rights as a State.
Nor does climate change alter the fundamental rights of States and peoples under international law.
Nor do the impacts of climate change and sea level rise diminish the rights and that flow from them.
The Maldives along with other SIDS has consistently affirmed that statehood and sovereignty must be upheld and protected.
These rights must continue to be preserved despite such challenges. International law is grounded in stability, equity, fairness and the sovereign equality of States.
The rights of our people, including the right to self-determination, must remain protected.
For the Maldives, protecting rights in the face of sea-level rise begins with strengthening resilience.
Our first priority must be to protect and support communities to remain where they choose to live with dignity. This calls for sustained investment in adaptation.
Climate-resilient infrastructure shore protection measures safer housing resilient public services and long-term planning.
Adaptation is not simply an environmental response. It is a means of safeguarding rights, livelihoods, culture identity and human dignity.
For decades the Maldives has invested in climate-resilient island development and climate-informed urban planning.
Through initiatives such as Hulhumalé and now Ras Malé we are seeking to expand opportunities for our people while reducing climate risks.
These investments reveal that proactive adaptation can help protect communities before displacement becomes unavoidable.
However, while national action is essential it cannot substitute for international cooperation.
It calls for continued efforts to advance legal certainty support vulnerable populations enhance adaptation and ensure that affected States retain the capacity to protect their people and exercise their rights.
It also demands significantly scaled-up support.
Many vulnerable countries face adaptation costs that they cannot afford.
Without predictable and accessible finance, the capacity of countries to protect communities and build resilience will remain limited.
Ultimately this discussion is about protecting people and States from a crisis they did not create or cannot stop.
Protecting rights in the face of sea-level rise demands sustained and coordinated partnerships across all levels of governance.
The Maldives remains committed to collaborating with partners throughout the international community.
Together we must advance solutions that protect people, safeguard rights, uphold international law and strengthen resilience in the face of sea-level rise.
Thank you.