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Foreign Minister Shahid speaks at UN

Mariyam Malsa
27 January 2019, MVT 19:03
Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid at tt the United Nations Security Council’s Open Debate “Addressing impacts of climate-related disasters on international peace and security”. PHOTO: FOREIGN MINISTRY
Mariyam Malsa
27 January 2019, MVT 19:03

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, on Friday, spoke at the United Nations Security Council, calling for immediate actions combating impacts of climate change in compliance with existing international agreements.

Speaking at the open debate “Addressing impacts of climate-related disasters on international peace and security”, Minister Shahid noted the challenges faced by Maldives, such as erosion, coral bleaching, water contamination and depletion of fish stocks.

Recalling his address to the Security Council in April 2007, Minister Shahid emphasized that the same messages were being repeated twelve years later although climate change continues to destroy livelihoods, economies and entire nations.

In order to highlight the potentially catastrophic implications of climate change for younger generations, Minister Shahid mentioned a 5-year old girl named Aisha from Maldives. The Minister called on the Security Council and UN members to make collaborative efforts to reverse current trends so that the future of little girls like Aisha and her friends could be secured.

The Foreign Minister also stated any potential solution should aim to strengthen the UN's capacity to identify climate-related risks in conflicts and take mitigating measures early on. Additionally, Shahid also stated that the Secretariat’s briefings to the Council should include expert analyses of climate-related risks and how they drive conflicts.

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