News

Climate Change Department conducts climate change briefing for Maldivian diplomats

30 Dec 2025

The Climate Change Department in collaboration with the Foreign Service Institute of Maldives (FOSIM), conducted a climate change briefing session for Maldivian diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The session was organised to strengthen awareness on climate action and climate diplomacy, and to build the capacity of Maldivian missions and embassies abroad in advancing the Maldives’ climate change priorities.

The session started with a statement by Minister of Tourism and Environment H.E. Thoriq Ibrahim, who highlighted the critical importance of strong collaboration between the Ministry and the Foreign Service in representing the Maldives. He noted that diplomats play an essential role as the external voice of the Maldives, ensuring that national interests, including on climate change, are heard and understood in bilateral and multilateral forums. Minister Thoriq further noted that while diplomats work across a wide range of issues, climate change diplomacy requires coordinated messaging led by technical experts to avoid inconsistencies and ensure credibility in negotiations.

During the technical presentation, Director General Amjad Abdulla provided diplomats with an overview of the international climate change policy regime and the latest developments under the UNFCCC process, including the outcomes of recent climate change conferences, the Global Mutirão of COP30, the Global Goal on Adaptation, and climate finance priorities. The presentation also highlighted the Maldives’ Climate Action Plan (also referred to as Maldives’ Third Nationally Determined Contribution), ongoing adaptation and mitigation initiatives, and the country’s continued leadership in advocating for the needs of small island developing States. The session also underscored the importance of disciplined coordination on cross-cutting thematic areas such as security, sustainable development and human rights.

The session further discussed the strategic importance of strengthening Maldives’ presence in regional and international climate change institutions, including ongoing efforts to enhance engagement with the Green Climate Fund and other climate action mechanisms, to support national resilience, energy security and sustainable development priorities.

Diplomats participating in the session expressed appreciation for the opportunity to deepen their understanding of climate change policy and implementation priorities and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting national climate change diplomacy through their work in overseas missions.