Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef has linked the Maldives’ ambition to become a developed country by 2040 with stronger international support, greater access to climate finance and increased policy space for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Vice President said President Dr Mohamed Muizzu had established a clear national ambition for the Maldives to achieve developed-country status by 2040.
He said the government was working towards this goal by increasing productivity, diversifying the economy, developing resilient infrastructure, expanding renewable energy and investing in Maldivians.
“Our future will be built by Maldivians,” the Vice President said.
However, he cautioned that the international system could either expand or restrict the options available to countries such as the Maldives.
“Technology transfer, resilient supply chains and accessible finance expand choice. Technological dependence, external shocks and unsustainable debt limits it,” he said.
The Vice President placed access to affordable and sustainable financing at the heart of the Maldives’ development strategy, particularly as the country faces increasing costs associated with climate adaptation.
He described climate change as one of the most significant forces limiting the ability of SIDS to determine their own futures. For vulnerable island nations, he said, rising sea levels were no longer merely an environmental issue but had become a matter of national planning and security.
“Resilience demands the means to act,” he said, stressing that climate finance must reach vulnerable countries at the scale and speed necessary to strengthen their resilience.
He called for climate finance to be predictable and accessible, with greater use of grants and highly concessional financing for SIDS.
The Maldives has consistently highlighted the financial challenges faced by small island nations due to their geographic isolation, limited size and vulnerability to external shocks. The government has also called for reforms to international financial institutions and improved access to affordable financing for climate adaptation.
Against this backdrop, the Vice President said the Maldives’ development ambitions must be accompanied by changes to the international financial architecture.
He called for the implementation of the Sevilla Commitment on development finance, including commitments relating to financing, debt and institutional reform.
He also highlighted the Borrowers’ Platform, launched earlier this year by the Maldives and other developing countries, saying it should develop into a lasting mechanism through which developing nations can have a stronger voice in shaping the international financial system.
The Vice President said greater national agency for SIDS also depended on strengthening institutions and stability at home.
“We must build our institutions, improve stability, and attract responsible investment and meaningful partnerships,” he said.
He stressed that such partnerships should enhance national capacity and support countries’ own development priorities rather than create new forms of dependence.
The Vice President described this approach as the foundation of President Muizzu’s “Maldives First” policy, which he said was centred on partnerships based on respect, national interests and mutual contribution.
He said the same principle should guide international climate action.
For the Maldives and other low-lying island states, rising sea levels pose risks to infrastructure, economies and livelihoods. In a separate UN address on sea-level rise, the Vice President called for adaptation finance to be predictable, accessible, grant-based or highly concessional, and delivered more rapidly.
During his General Assembly address, he also called for accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda and measurable progress on the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS.
He said the upcoming COP31 in Antalya must be a “COP of delivery”, with implementation serving as the measure of international commitment.
“Global commitments matter only when they enable progress at home,” he said.
The Vice President said technologies such as artificial intelligence, alongside technology transfer, resilient supply chains and accessible finance, could expand the choices available to small states, while dependence, debt and external shocks could restrict them.
He said international partnerships should ultimately leave countries stronger and more capable than before.
“Partnerships must serve national needs, strengthen what we have and leave us more capable than before,” he said.
The Maldives’ 2040 ambition was therefore presented as both a national development objective and part of a broader call for an international system that provides small states with the financial resources and policy space needed to determine their own future.
