The Maldives has used a high-level side event at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to press for stronger international partnerships, warning that small island nations cannot meet their climate pledges without predictable support.

The session, titled “Decade of Paris Agreement: The Maldives’ Climate Action and Partnerships for Resilience”, showcased the Maldives’ climate journey since 2015 and underscored the urgency of collective action. Minister of Tourism and Environment Thoriq Ibrahim opened the event by highlighting the country’s third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), submitted in February 2025. The plan commits to an ambitious conditional reduction of 1.52 million tonnes of CO₂ by 2035 and sets out resilience-building measures in energy, transport and waste management.

In his closing remarks, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Abdulla Khaleel stressed that partnerships are the backbone of the Maldives’ climate response, transforming the Paris Agreement into a platform of delivery rather than aspiration. He emphasised that the success of the Maldives’ targets hinges on secure access to finance, technology transfer and capacity-building, and urged renewed global solidarity to make the coming decade one of implementation.

The event also highlighted the Maldives’ leadership role as former Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) during the Paris Agreement negotiations, reaffirming the country’s commitment to climate resilience and advocacy for vulnerable nations.

A panel discussion was moderated by Dr Pablo Viera, Global Director of the NDC Partnership Support Unit. The panel featured Nakamura Ryo, Assistant Minister and Director General for Global Issues at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Rabab Fatima, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS; Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director of UNDP Asia-Pacific; Allesandro Guerri, Director General at Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security; Dr Charles Ehrhart, Chief Strategy and Impact Officer at the Green Climate Fund; and Jamil Ahmad, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at UNEP.

The panellists discussed how partnerships have driven the implementation of national climate strategies, shared lessons from international cooperation, and examined opportunities to expand finance and technology support for small island developing states.