Minister of Foreign Affairs Iruthisham Adam has called for a fundamental shift in how climate adaptation is financed, urging countries to move from pledging funds and approving projects to delivering finance that strengthens resilience on the ground.
Speaking at a high-level climate event on Thursday, Minister Iruthisham said developed countries must meet their existing commitments on adaptation finance, stressing that private and innovative financing should supplement, rather than replace, public funding.
“For SIDS, finance must be predictable, accessible, and largely grant-based or highly concessional,” Minister said, warning that protecting people from climate change should not push vulnerable countries deeper into debt.
She said climate finance should focus on building resilience into development rather than simply financing individual projects.
“For the Maldives, adaptation means protecting our islands and shorelines, making critical infrastructure stronger, protecting our coral reefs, safeguarding communities and livelihoods,” she said.
The foreign minister also called for faster and simpler access to climate finance, saying Small Island Developing States should not have to spend years navigating complex processes to secure funding.
She proposed that the success of adaptation should instead be measured by tangible outcomes, including whether communities are safer, infrastructure is stronger, livelihoods are more secure and countries are better able to withstand future shocks.
“That should be the measure of success. Not simply how much was pledged, or how many projects were approved,” she said.
Minister Iruthisham also stressed that adaptation cannot substitute for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, warning that there are limits to how much small island states can adapt to climate change.
“The more we delay cutting emissions, the harder and more costly adaptation becomes,” she said.
She called on countries at COP31 to “move adaptation from planning to protection.”