Thread by @presidencymv

2020 has been a devastating year. COVID-19 health crisis has developed into an economic and social crisis, the impacts of which will linger for years to come.

- Minister of Foreign Affairs @abdulla_shahid at BVF 2020

#UNGA75

2020 has also ushered in the decade of action and delivery, giving us a chance to reassess our journey in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in a world where much has changed in the last 5 years.

COVID-19 has also shown that no country, big or small, rich or poor, can face the crisis alone. We have been fortunate that our friends in the international community have helped us in our journey so far.

Despite the urgency of the COVID-19 response, we must not lose sight of our medium- and longer-term development goals. The realisation of these goals is vital to ensuring we build back better, greener and stronger.

We rely on the ocean for not just our tourism, food supply and transportation; it is also deeply linked to our identity, culture and way of life. We have all seen the plague of plastic pollution in our ocean, islands and waterways. We must act now with utmost urgency.

Recognizing that change starts at home, we have pledged to phase out single use plastics by 2023 and will continue to work with like-minded countries to preserve the health and wealth of our ocean.

Our Government, and I personally, place great importance on the implementation of SDG 5 – ensuring Gender Equality. We have allocated a third of local council seats to women. For the first time, we have achieved gender parity among Heads of Missions in our Foreign Service.

Maldives has long placed great importance on SDG 13 and has been a champion of addressing the issue of climate change. It is clear that climate change and sustainable development are undeniably linked. It has left us with a narrow window to reverse its negative effects.

The impacts of climate change are here with us today – from hurricanes in the Atlantic, to forest fires in America. Closer to home, we are seeing higher tidal waves, winds, coral bleaching, sea swells and flooding.

As a small island state, or as I prefer, a large ocean state, with over ninety thousand square kilometres of ocean, the Maldives’ fate is tied to the health and wealth of our ocean.

We need to build climate-resilient infrastructure and take steps to ensure that our implementation of the SDGs are broad and inclusive to overcome these vulnerabilities.

It is only through genuine partnership and cooperation in a spirit of multilateralism and leaving no one behind that we will be able to build a secure, resilient and prosperous world for everyone.

Minister of Foreign Affairs @abdulla_shahid at BVF 2020

#UNGA75