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Minister Ali Shareef takes part in the “Türkiye’s Road to COP31: Resilient Cities”

09 May 2026

Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, H.E. Mr. Ali Shareef, represented the Maldives at the high-level event “Türkiye’s Road to COP31: Resilient Cities”, held from 8–9 May 2026 in Hatay, Türkiye. He was accompanied by Director, Mr. Thibyan Ibrahim from the Climate Change Department of the Ministry.

The event convened ministers, policymakers, and international stakeholders to advance dialogue on climate-resilient urban development in the lead-up to COP31, with a strong focus on post-disaster recovery as an opportunity to build sustainable, inclusive, and resilient cities.

 

During the High-Level Special Session titled “From the Disaster of the Century to the Construction of Sustainable Cities,” Minister Ali Shareef emphasized on the importance of global cooperation in advancing the shared vision of resilient and climate-adaptive development. In his intervention, the Minister highlighted that the Maldives’ Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the forthcoming National Adaptation Plan are closely aligned with the Maldives Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2024–2030). He emphasized that these frameworks collectively strengthen the integration of disaster risk reduction priorities, including the enhancement of early warning systems, the protection of critical coastal ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves, and the promotion of climate-resilient infrastructure. Minister also reaffirmed Maldives’ strong support for Türkiye’s leadership as the incoming COP31 Presidency.

Minister Ali Shareef also participated in the Ministerial Roundtable, where he stressed the urgent need to embed disaster risk reduction and climate resilience into long-term national development planning. He noted that disaster risk reduction is systematically integrated across all climate policies in Maldives and is aligned with the national roadmap to achieve the United Nations Secretary-General’s Early Warnings for All Initiative. He further highlighted that these considerations are being incorporated into the upcoming National Adaptation Plan to ensure risk-informed decision-making at all levels of governance.

 

 

On the sidelines of the event, Minister Ali Shareef held a bilateral meeting with Minister of Environment, Urabanisation and Climate Change from Türkiye, H.E. Mr. Murat Kurum the incoming COP31 President. Minister Ali Shareef also held bilateral meetings with ministers from Bangladesh, Brunei, Libya and Kosovo, and the Executive Director of UN HABITAT to strengthen cooperation on climate action and resilience-building efforts.