بســم اللّـه الرّحمـن الرّحيــم

Honourable Sheikh Hasina Prime Minister of Bangladesh, His Excellency José María Figueres, former President of Costa Rica, Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, Enrique Castillo, other distinguished panellists;

Ladies and Gentlemen;

I wish to begin by extending my appreciation to Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, the Honourable Prime Minister of Bangladesh, for hosting this event, and inviting me to participate in this discussion. I applaud the leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister for advancing the goal of this important forum to a greater level during the chairmanship of Bangladesh.

I thank his Excellency José María Figueres, the former President of Costa Rica, for attending this important event. We further appreciate the initiative taken by Costa Rica to lead the forum as its next chair.

Congratulation for bringing out the second edition of the Climate Vulnerability Monitor.

Ladies and Gentlemen;

Climate vulnerability forum is a platform very close to our hearts, since its inaugural reception in the Maldives in 2009. If there is a ground Zero for observing and monitoring the impact of a changing global climate, that would be the Maldives. There is no country on this planet that is safe from climate change. Each country faces threats whether they are related to their ecosystems, prosperity, or livelihood. To assume that countries are safer because of their geography, or terrain, or because of their economic might is a misnomer when it comes to the issue of climate change.

What we go through today is the image of your future, as it was well put in the CVF’s first declaration adopted in 2009 - “the fate of the most vulnerable will be the fate of the world.” It’s only a matter of time before every country ends up having to step in our shoes.

Let me give you an image of the present situation in my country. First, there is a danger of habitat loss. Land loss and beach erosion are accounted as major impacts the country faces. Over 80 per cent of the land area in the Maldives is less than 1 meter above the mean sea level. As of today, above 50 per cent of all islands in the Maldives are experiencing severe coastal erosion. We have about 1100 islands. The need to divert resources from productive investments, to efforts to protect valuable costal property from erosion, significantly holds back Maldives’ economy.

Which brings me right to the next severe stress we are facing: the danger of economic stress. The coral reefs and seas are our life line. Our largest economic sectors, tourism and fisheries, which contribute more than 80 per cent to our GDP, entirely depend on coral reefs and the sea. Corals are highly sensitive to changes in the ocean temperature.

The tourism sector which represents at least one third of the total economy is strongly dependent on holiday makers, most of them engaged in diving and snorkelling. Any deterioration in the natural eco system in the Maldives would therefore naturally have damaging economic consequences.

In fishing sector, catches from a certain type of tuna, which represents the Maldives’ main daily source of protein, significantly decreased since 2005. If the observed global temperature continues, the total disappearance of the Maldives’ coral reefs is almost inevitable. This threat to the survival of the coral reefs is seen as a threat to our largest economic sector.

Growing water stresses are a major problem for the Maldives. Salt water intrusion in to ground water damage crops and cause damage to properties. About 24 to 32 per cent of selected wells show salinity. Ground water contamination together with extended droughts represents a severe danger to the agriculture sector in the Maldives. In addition to that there has been a shortage of rain fall; rain water. About 49 to 63 per cent of households experience shortage of rain water. Alone in 2012, government of the Maldives had to supply desalinated water to about 87 islands.

About 57 per cent of people who live in my country today consume desalinated water which is in turn dependent on the use of fossil fuel; diesel in particular. Extreme weather events which will become roughly twice as common in the first half of the century will have significant negative impact on the transport sector, which will endanger the Maldives’ food security.

Moreover, health risks due to climate change are rising. Data shows that there is a continuing increase of diarrhoea and vector borne diseases during the rainy season in the Maldives which become more extreme every year.

These challenges are just examples of possible impacts of climate change. It is therefore of the utmost importance that we walk together starting today towards helping the environmentally vulnerable countries adapt to climate change, and need to address these consequences successfully, so that tomorrow the entire planet can be ready to take the appropriate measures and rely on a proven and successful structure.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;

Climate change is a global problem that requires a global solution. It’s an issue we must address with one voice as we are all on the same sinking boat. We need to scale up the national, international and regional efforts. Especially to increase the financial resources in addressing climate change adaptation to help the most vulnerable countries as they generally are the states with the least resources to address such a large issue.

In addition to financial issues we need capacity building and technology. Even during these turbulent economic times we cannot afford to delay the necessary environmental actions. Climate change will not wait for economic to recover. We call for all states to follow the steps taken by our government towards more sustainable development and a green economy as we strive to become a low carbon economy in the coming years ahead.

The climate vulnerability monitor since its inaugural launch by the former president Nasheed of Maldives in 2010, founding chair of CBF has been an indispensable tool in bringing together a comprehensive , compilation of information and research from around the world. It has shaped policy makers’ approach to assess the seriousness of the situation in our island nation and it has brought together communities in their shared fields in common concerns. Finally, it has brought in to context the almost perplexing way of different vulnerabilities faced by different communities in the different parts of the world.

We hope these are lessons and experiences we can all learn from and that would encourage countries, civil society, and international organisations to take a holistic approach to deal with the real dangers faced by the most vulnerable countries. As we move on with the important task of carrying out the work of CVF, I wish to recognise the collaboration of DARA without which our efforts would not lead us where we are today. I also wish to thank all our international partners for their generous assistance and contribution in ensuring our collective efforts in promoting the vulnerability of these countries do not sink

Thank you.