President Mohamed Nasheed met with Ms Connie Hedegaard, Minister of Climate Change and Energy of Denmark, in New Delhi, this morning.
President’s meeting with the Danish environment minister comes in just less than two months before Denmark will hold the UN Climate Conference to negotiate a successor deal to the Kyoto Protocol.
At the meeting, discussions were therefore mainly focused on having a viable agreement in Copenhagen.
Emphasising the urgency of the climate crisis, the President said “it has to be Copenhagen and it has to be now” to save humanity from the threat of climate change.
President Nasheed also discussed giving special consideration to the plight of the most vulnerable states.
While discussing climate change mitigation and adaptation policies, the President underscored the importance of good governance as a prerequisite for successful adaptation to the negative effects of climate change.
Referring to the President’s earlier decision to cancel overseas visits as a cost-cutting measure on account of serious domestic budget concerns, Ms Hedegaard said that it was important the Maldives was represented at the Copenhagen conference.
She said President Nasheed could play a pivotal role in the negotiations, especially in representing the vulnerable states.
The President is visiting India to participate in a high level conference on climate change that began on Thursday.
The President also held talks with the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, on Thursday.
