His Excellency President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has called for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to be recognised as sources of innovation and enterprise, rather than viewed solely through the lens of climate vulnerability.
Speaking as the chief guest at the opening of the SIDS Global Business Network (GBN) Forum 2026 and Island Investment Forum (IIF), held in the Maldives from 23 to 25 August, the President noted that vulnerability is only one part of the SIDS story, with the other being determination. He described island nations as having turned limitations into ingenuity, distance into connectivity, and challenges into opportunities.
That determination, he said, is most visible in the private sector. The President identified micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) as the engines of SIDS economies, often finding practical solutions where governments struggle on their own. He stressed that the small scale of island states can itself become an advantage, allowing SIDS to serve as laboratories for innovation and incubators for ideas, technologies and solutions.
The President characterised digital connectivity as no longer simply a communications issue, but as economic infrastructure capable of enabling trade, financial services, tourism and creative industries. Through the Maldives 2.0 agenda, he added, the country is using digital technology to overcome the limitations of geography and scale.
Turning to domestic measures, the President highlighted targeted financing for start-ups and young entrepreneurs, with support earmarked for women-led businesses. He also pointed to the modernised Foreign Investment Act, the planned Trade Acceleration Zone by 2027, and strategic investments in logistics and floating solar energy.
In closing, the President called on the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) to develop the GBN into the central platform connecting promising island ideas and enterprises with finance, technology, partners and markets.
