Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef has called for urgent and united global action to address the rapid melting of glaciers and rising sea levels. He made the remarks while speaking at the High-Level International Conference on the Preservation of Glaciers in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Delivering his address at the opening session of the conference, the Vice President underscored the Maldives’ profound concern over the accelerating loss of glaciers and its far-reaching consequences.
The Vice President highlighted that the Maldives has submitted its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) this year, outlining an ambitious pathway towards resilience and low-carbon development. He reiterated that, with international support, the Maldives aims to reduce emissions by 1.52 million tonnes by 2035 and to generate 33 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2028.
In his statement, the Vice President urged all countries to submit updated NDCs before COP30, calling for greater ambition, transparency, and urgency. He emphasised that global commitments must be transformative, not merely symbolic if the climate crisis is to be effectively addressed.
The Vice President also stressed the critical need for targeted international support for Small Island Developing States, advocating for tailored strategies, concessional climate finance, adapted technologies, and meaningful capacity-building efforts to meet their specific challenges.
Concluding his remarks, the Vice President reaffirmed the Maldives’ steadfast commitment to working closely with the international community to confront the global threat of glacier loss. He further called for enhanced cooperation and solidarity in addressing the urgent issue of melting ice and rising sea levels.