SIDS face an existential threat in the face of inaction

We spoke to Ambassador Thilmeeza Hussain, Permanent Representative of Maldives to the UN. She shared with us how climate action and food systems transformation stand to benefit small island nations.

The priorities of the President of the General Assembly for 2022 are anchored in calls for unity, hope, and solidarity to the world’s most pressing challenges, including those facing SIDS. What type of collaborative efforts and partnerships would you like to see to catalyze commitments and pledges of support into actionable solutions on the road to 2030?

The message of the President of the General Assembly is right on point for the times before us. Multilateralism and diplomacy need to be at the forefront of tackling each of these crucial challenges that we collectively face. No single country can do it alone and no country should be left behind in our efforts to achieve sustainable development and to tackle climate change. 

Only through unity and solidarity will we get back on track to achieving the SDGs. We spent tremendous effort and energy to elaborate the SAMOA Pathway, the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and other related frameworks that are key to addressing these challenges, which are disproportionately affecting SIDS. Now, more than ever, we need unity and solidarity to drive the implementation of these agreements.

What does this look like in practice? First, it means that big countries need to do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prevent overfishing and plastic pollution, and take other actions to address the threats to SIDS. Second, it means concrete financial capacity building, and technical support for SIDS to implement actions to drive our national sustainable development agendas and to build resilience to future threats. 

What is the most pressing climate action that you hope to see moving forward, especially considering the calls to action outlined in the SAMOA Pathway?

We need urgent mitigation actions and simultaneous support for adaptation – both must go hand in hand. 

It is key to address the root causes of climate change, including mitigation actions to curb greenhouse gas emissions. We are already experiencing the impacts of climate change – we need to see global action to urgently reduce emissions. The Maldives and SIDS across the globe are at the front lines of climate change and are already bearing tremendous climate impacts. We recognize that if we continue on this current path, some SIDS will face an existential threat.

At the same time, we need more concrete support mobilized to implement climate resilience at home. We know the steps we want to take to protect our islands, our homes, to ensure a prosperous future for our people.  

The processes to access funds are often designed for bigger countries and are too cumbersome and are inappropriate given the size and nature of projects in small islands. Funding for SIDS must be adequate, predictable, and accessible. In this regard, we are keen to see the finalization of a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index, which will ideally take a more holistic view of the special situation and contexts of SIDS, when it comes to providing support. 

Your recent participation at the FAO SIDS Solutions Dialogue touched on the ripple effects of the COVID–19 pandemic across SIDS, highlighting the need for food systems to be more innovative and resilient to economic and climate shocks. In what ways is the transformation of food systems particularly urgent among small island states?

We recognize the need to take urgent action to ensure our food security given our changing climate. Our dependence on external sources for adequate food and nutrition makes the Maldives, and other SIDS, especially vulnerable to changes in commodity prices, decreases and interruptions in the global supply of crops, and unpredictable import costs. With SIDS very often being at the end of a long food supply chain, the pandemic has only exacerbated this vulnerability. COVID-19 has placed an additional strain on our food systems by disrupting global crop production and supply chains, and increasing unemployment and food insecurity among vulnerable countries and groups. 

These factors have underscored the need to develop resilient, local food systems. This will require technical expertise and support, as well as financial investments to build sustainable and regenerative food production, distribution, and consumption patterns. We recognize that it will be challenging to build resilient domestic food production capacities, and that’s why we see value behind initiatives such as the SIDS Solutions Dialogue, which help incubate, promote, scale up, and replicate locally grown ideas appropriate to our small island contexts. 

With millions of livelihoods in small island states reliant on sustainable and healthy ocean and marine resources, what do you hope to see governments and the international community at large commit to around SDG 14, especially as we find ourselves at the outset of the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022? 

Maldives has much to share with other countries on its model for sustainable fisheries. Our fishers have developed a harmonious and productive relationship with the ocean that has traditionally ensured healthy fish stocks. However, our fish stocks are now being impacted by unsustainable, global fishing practices. 

As a small island, my home country is also a large ocean state, with the ocean being fundamentally intertwined with our economy, our climate, our health, and our culture. We have worked on several fronts to address the various stresses on our ocean by actively engaging with an array of stakeholders – from marine biologists and environmentalists to resilience specialists and others – to ensure sound, evidence-based decision-making. However, when it comes to achieving SDG14, we need action from all stakeholders across many fronts to ensure sustainable fish stocks, curb illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, eliminate harmful subsidies, and support small-scale fisheries, particularly in SIDS. 

Maldives is dependent on importing staple foods, but not on fisheries since local fishers supply our country’s needs. When it comes to our fishing industry, Maldives is a model of artisanal fisheries, and welcomes the focus that the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 can bring to our sustainable fishing practices. 

To protect our oceans and the deeply crucial cultural, economic, and social ties we have with them, we must find ways to scale up efforts and urgently achieve SDG14 to protect our vital oceans and their resources.