Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives Abdulla Shahid has urged the UN Security Council to address the complex challenges of climate-related risks to international peace and security.
The minister made the remarks delivering the statement in United Nations Security Council’s Open Debate on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Climate and Security. The debate was organized by the United Kingdom, which holds the Presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of February 2021, and was chaired by Prime Minister of UK, Boris Johnson.
The Council’s debate focused on security threats imposed by climate change such as droughts or floods, forcing displacement and insecurity. The debate was also aimed at bringing hope to the efforts by countries in countering and adapting to the effects of climate change and managing conflict risks.
In Minister Shahid’s statement, he focused on the devastating consequences of climate change on the livelihoods of millions of communities around the world. He also underlined the fate of low lying and small countries such as the Maldives, where the effects of climate change are exacerbating and how Maldivians are suffering due to climate change. He called for the international community to join to take decisive and meaningful actions in combating climate change and prevent the security threats imposed.