Excellencies, ladies and gentleman

I am greatly privileged to participate in this event and thank the organisers for offering this chance to our country.

Frequent, prolonged, intense disasters and extreme events are becoming a common phenomenon in Maldives as well as elsewhere, and we all suffer at an unprecedented scale debilitating already challenged economies. Given our ecological fragility and structural vulnerabilities,  Maldives and other SIDS stand to bear the greatest impacts of climate change and these challenges ultimately translate into social and economic and human rights hurdles for which we do not have the resources to adequately address. Maldives plays a crucial and continuing role in strengthening the multilateral, rule based climate architecture in addressing the issue of climate change and would like to see concrete progress, not merely in the negotiations but also in tackling climate change in practice.

Maldives has made many pledges: such as becoming carbon neutral, making the country a biosphere reserve, phasing out ozone depleting elements and religiously abiding by international convention requirements as best as it could. Along with us, other developing countries have also shown substantial flexibility and good faith in abiding by all rules, in the negotiations and have agreed to new obligations that are not required by the Convention. This needs to be met by the developed world to ensure that the issue of climate change be addressed in a collective, equitable and holistic manner. Our tiny country along with all other SIDS have been urging for aggressive mitigation actions by major historic emitters, while not forgetting critical climate adaptation requirements and at the same time calling upon emerging economies to adapt more sustainable growth strategies.

Our vulnerability to climate change and its inherent link to our survival demands mitigation and adaptation, to be adequately integrated within the global climate governance regime and infrastructure adaptation requirements.  However, the funds allocated for adaptation is rarely available although adaptation should constitute as being of equal importance as that of mitigation and should proceed in tandem with each other. For a country like Maldives it makes no sense to spend only on mitigation, when all efforts of conservation in that regard is eroding away.

A simple example is an integrated waste management facility built from multilateral funds, to serve as a pilot and training grounds which as we speak is literally eroding away, while consultants sitting at a desk somewhere with no concept of what we are talking about insist on extending the facility rather than using the balance money to offer coastal protection to preserve the facility. Sadly our suggestions of the importance of coastal protection for our islands are being viewed as infrastructure development and funds towards that is being refused. For us SIDS, coastal protection measures is not infrastructure development excellencies. It is a matter of survival. As we stand on the side and do our best to survive, it is sad to see that the collective will to address the issues of climate change is still missing. Often people in decision making positions have no clue of our reality and as such, our needs are often misunderstood and opportunities bypass us and that is reflected very well in the decisions taken by international bodies. Furthermore, even if funds are allocated, it is extremely challenging to access these funds in a timely and responsive manner and what is left through the bureaucratic process is neither at the scale required, nor at the magnitude needed to address the numerous and pressing issues.

As we look towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the post 2015 development agenda, it is important to consider the lessons learnt as we move forward.  It is our obligation to make sure that Sustainable development and climate change are jointly addressed and not viewed in isolation of each other but rather as a continuation of a global development project. We know that sustainable development for us is only possible if climate change adaptation is effectively integrated into broader national sustainable development plans, policies, projects, and programs. In particular, it should build upon and consolidate the gains made through MDGs whilst also refining the entire process.  Urgent and timely attention should be given to linkages with the MDGs, which are central to reducing poverty and enhancing economic and social development by 2015.

We also must remember that there are conceptual and practical flaws associated with the design and implementation of the MDGs, and how international communities gauge the development levels, particularly as it relates to SIDS. The utilisation of aggregated global data in the MDG formulation, and use of indices such as GDP per capita towards graduation from LDC status for example, fail to adequately reflect the complex interactions between the geographical challenges, environmental resources and social issues. Such flawed and geographically disassociated measures miss the subtle nuances of the situation and the ground reality of SIDS and thus stand as a danger to our development and progress made on MDG’s.

How can a country like Maldives stay safe from natural disasters? How can we, address the challenges of constant climate change battles, our smallness and remoteness and yet build strong resilient communities, if development assistance is wrenched away from us based on distortive measures? How could assistance stop when our islands, 80% of which lie not more than 1 meter above sea level, are fast eroding due to lack of proper coastal protection; when our rain water is polluted due to trans-boundary pollution; when our ground water is contaminated due to salinity and contaminants from sewerage; when we do not have water and sanitation facilities available to even a third of our remote islands; when we spend 36% of GDP on importing fossil fuel; over 30 million on emergency relief for water; when our trade debts stand at 24% and external debt at 43%; when our national deficit is over 20% of GDP? If concessionary financing stop to vulnerable countries like us, we will slide back on the progress we have made and will fall into developmental regression. You will leave us behind as the world move on. What is at stake here excellencies is not just small countries or small land masses, but a way of life, rich cultures and proud histories.

Climate change is a global problem excellencies, and addressing global challenges require global efforts and as such, such fragmentations run the danger of pushing our planet into deeper problems. Now is the time to redouble our efforts and renew our commitments and obligations. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities should be the basis in this regard. The Kyoto Protocol should be maintained as the central pillar of the climate regime, and should ensure that all developed countries meet their existing commitments and take on new ones commensurate with the science. It is disappointing to note that commitments of funding such as The Copenhagen and Cancun texts promise of ‘new and additional’ funding, above the conventional Official Development Assistance and ‘predictable funds’ have fallen short of expectations. How the developed world meet these commitments and targets should then inform and form the benchmark against which other major economies should increase their efforts.

While the argument continues with no convincing results we struggle to divert our fiscal resources for national adaptation needs which then drains the national budget and directly affects our sustainable development goals. As a result national actions remain largely fragmented and disparate. There is then a need to increase the predictability of funds to developing states, particularly SIDS, to ensure that an integrated and holistic approach can be utilized to address the issue of climate change adaptation within the context of sustainable development.

Sadly, in general, the human solemnity of the problem is heightened by the fact that climate change and its consequential effect is dramatically and unduly affecting the already vulnerable, poor and marginalized people, highlighting predominant susceptibilities and spreading more inequalities, intensifying existing social inequity at both the local and international level. It is imperative a pool of trained human resources are developed but this is a task that is largely beyond the financial capacity of small island states. Conflicts are arising over our inability to meet the increasing variety of climate change related demands and these consequences are translating not only to economic, political and societal costs and implications, but to probable cost of lives and it is fast emerging as a key challenge to Fundamental Human Rights of our people in all fronts.

Through the active engagement and participation and the political will of all actors concerned we must continue to make progress toward setting a global goal to abide by all conventions set to protect our environment and combat climate change. The urgency to address climate change forces Maldives to urge international community to device a system where one or two countries cannot stop the rest of the world take the morally right decision especially if we are to prevent major environmental, economic and social disruptions. We call on the international community to prioritize on what is dividing us, come to a compromise, exercise flexibility and establish a common understanding before it is too late. In the end when nature unleashes its power we are all helpless.  So let us do something while we still have a chance. Let us not go into history as a generation whose indecisive and skeptical actions destroyed a future which otherwise could have been better.

Given that climate change can potentially impact the territorial sovereignty of SIDS, this raises fundamental questions of their survival. What is at stake is not only a country, but rather a way of life, rich cultures and proud histories. As such, it is also important to consider the human rights implications and the security implications that SIDS are to face, and renew efforts to address these, both at a global scale through mitigation and at a local level through adaptation.  

It is also important to review and reassess the manner in which the international community gauge the development levels in SIDS. Indices such as GDP per capita fail to adequately reflect the ground reality of development in SIDS such as the structural and institutional weaknesses, the complex interactions between the environmental resources and vulnerabilities and social issues in SIDS. Given this, international institutions such as the UN system is using distortive indices when gauging the development levels in SIDS and it is of grave concern. Therefore, use of proper indices to assess the progress levels of SIDS need to be institutionalised.  

In addition, given that SIDS are likely to graduate from LDC status in the short to medium term,. Graduation from LDC status for SIDS does not remove the inherent structural vulnerabilities. It is already a reality in the Maldives. Whilst SIDS have been highly dependent on foreign development aid, with graduation comes the prospect of forfeiting such generous foreign aid. As a result, SIDS such as Maldives are expected to compete for finance with larger and economically stronger states, better poised to access and absorb such funds. Overburdened debts do not allow commercial loans for development for fear of further straining the fiscal position of the government and subsequently complicating the sustainable development efforts. Given this, more efforts need to be made to address the issue of declining concessional financing for SIDS. Therefore, a formal permanent recognition of SIDS vulnerabilities within multilateral financial institutions such as the World Bankand the global aid and trade regime is profoundly important. It is also important to earmark certain funds specifically for SIDS to implement sustainable development activities in their states. At the moment the finances allocated for climate adaptation in SIDS falls miserably below the needs. There is then a need to ensure that innovative and sustained mechanisms are set to provide assistance to SIDS for climate adaptation. This should be complemented by renewed commitments to address climate change through mitigation on a global scale 

Resources within the UN system for SIDS specific action is highly inadequate and as a result work within the UN system has been disparate and falls short of the needs and priorities. Subsequently, the required focus and attention on sustainable development of SIDS is not taken into account. Efforts therefore, need to be made to adequately integrate and institutionalise SIDS within the UN system. This will require a comprehensive definition and full recognition of SIDS as a special category within the global governance regime, within UN system, among multilateral financial institutions and other international organisations and agencies. In this regard, SIDS  need differentiated treatment and access to concessional financing based on fair assessment of their respective vulnerabilities and resilience to global impacts such as climate change, natural disasters, and financial and economic crises, in addition to their structural challenges of smallness, remoteness, and distance from global markets and their debt scenario. 

In addition to this, it is also important to note that commitments made by developed states have yet to translate into concrete and sustained action. This is fundamental to bridge the gap between the national sustainable development efforts of SIDS and their realisation. As such, in order to meet the financing requirement for the implementation and realisation of sustainable development in SIDS, highlighted in the BPoA, WSSD, and MSI, the creation of a dedicated financing mechanism that would attract new and additional financial resources is highly important. Concurrently, there is also an urgent need to intensify efforts by the international community to provide external development assistance through new and additional commitments and disbursement of resources. A mere shift in sectoral allocation of Official Development Assistance (ODA) will not be sufficient in this regard. This should also be complemented by donor harmonisation, whereby a holistic, integrated and coherent approach is taken. There is also a need to assimilate the needs and priorities of SIDS within donor assistance. Where ODA  

been provided, there are significant mismatches between the needs of SIDS and the donor conditions. As such, it is important to rethink the current modality of ODA in order to ensure that national needs and priorities taken into account and met. 

The absence of a coherent regional and international implementation strategy for inter and intra-regional co-operation between SIDS is also a factor for poor implementation of sustainable development efforts in SIDS. It is also important to establish effective channels of communication and information flows, not only a regional and inter-regional mechanism but also with the UN system and other development partners. This should be complemented by the identification and adoption of a suitable inter-governmental institutional mechanism to give guidance and policy direction for SIDS. 

Given that SIDS are particularly vulnerable to climate change, it is important to ensure that the post-2015 agenda reflect the need for critical  adaptation, infrastructure for SIDS in conjunction with measurable targets for developed countries to provide assistance in this regard. 

In short, a significant paradigm shift is needed in the global outlook, including those of the international agencies, towards SIDS. Though limited in size and population, SIDS are in fact custodians of vast ocean reserves and associated marine biodiversity. Maldives alone constitutes as 7 per cent of the global reef systems. Any change or degradation to these has global implications. Why should action to protect and conserve these within the framework of sustainable development not be a global matter?