Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon called on nations that had signed the Paris Agreement on Climate change to ratify and implement the agreement, stating that "the talking must stop and the real work must begin".
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change was an agreement finalized in Paris, France in December 2015. As the current Chair of Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Maldives played a vital role in drafting and lobbying for the agreement, as well as ensuring the COP 21 summit was a success. Maldives is one of the first signatories of the Paris Agreement.
In her op-ed to the Globe and Mail, Minister Dunya said the nations have to implement the measures in the agreement, adding that "real, credible action" was needed, especially from the larger nations.
Over 150 nations had signed the agreement, with 11 countries ratifying it.
"We are running out of time: The oceans are rising, and without direct and immediate international action, our nation may not exist in a matter of decades," she said,
Minister Dunya said that urgency was the key component now, noting that " Last week, our parliament voted to ratify the historic Paris agreement. We are among the first to complete the domestic ratification process for the treaty (including other Alliance of Small Island States members – of which the Maldives is currently chair – such as Fiji, Republic of the Marshall Islands and Palau). We are now urging our international partners, large and small, to do the same."
Minister Dunya said that Paris Agreement, defending the rights of smaller nations such as the Maldives, was a start and that AOSIS had consistently warned the UN Security Council of the debilitating effects of rise in sea water levels.
In her article, Minister Dunya said that action was needed now, noting that former President Mohamed Nasheed's theatrics had not benefited the initiative. She highlighted that Nasheed had held an underwater cabinet meeting and acted a Hollywood film about climate change.
"The government in which I serve hopes to be judged not on talk, but on actions. We have launched a series of energy-from-waste plants that use our human waste to power our growing economy, without the need to increase landfill; we have promoted and encouraged the development of ecological and fully eco-powered tourist resorts – a sector on which our economy depends. And we are teaching the importance of environmental protection and sustainability in our schools, for the very first time," Dunya said.
Minister Dunya said Maldives was ready to implement all possible measures in the Paris agreement and that Maldives was already in fifth gear.
The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse gases emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020.
