The Maldives has called for global recognition that “climate change is a threat to the survival of humanity, and our response to the threat requires us to redefine the concept of security”. The Maldives made this call at the statement delivered by the Foreign Secretary H.E. Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed at the United Nations Security Council yesterday.

In his statement, the Foreign Secretary noted the specific challenges and the vulnerabilities that Small Island Developing States are susceptible to in the context of security and peace in the international arena. “Vulnerability is a fact in SIDS. Yet, we refuse to be defined by them’, noted the Foreign Secretary. He also elaborated on how SIDS have been ‘valuable contributors in proposing global solutions to common problems and how SIDS have shown to the world that small states are not only viable, but they in fact have an extraordinary ability to survive and even thrive in the turbulent global political arena’.

Speaking as the Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), the Foreign Secretary expressed its appreciation to the Government of New Zealand for introducing a debate on small states in the Security Council which drew attention on the peace and security challenges facing Small Island States. The Maldives also expressed hope that today’s debate would mark as the beginning of a momentum for addressing the broader vulnerabilities and challenges facing Small Island Developing States and how best to address them.