Jan 4, 2010

Nasheed’s COP 15 Show

            The powerful participation andpersonal pitch made by President Nasheed in Copenhagen Climate Change Summitwas appreciated by global leaders including US President Barack Obama. Thisalso benefited the country financially. The European Commissionconfirmed a Climate Change Trust Fund of 6.5 million Euros to the Government ofMaldives for mitigation and adaptation projects and technical support onclimate change. This came during a meeting of President Mohamed Nasheed withWorld Bank President Robert B. Zoellick on 15th December as part of his visitto Copenhagen for the COP 15climate change summit.

Maldiveshas no doubt benefited from COP 15 in many ways. Firstly as a small nation ithas shifted from the margins to the centre stage in global negotiations andtherefore it would be apparent that it will continue to be called for suchdialogue at the high table from time to time. The efforts of the PresidentNasheed in this direction have been instrumental in pushing the country on theglobal platform. This apart a large fund inflow should be forthcoming in thedays ahead as the global community commences to implement some of the proposalswhich were generally agreed upon in COP 15.

            As one of the most vulnerable Islandstates along with Tuvaluin the Pacific, Maldiveshas been at the forefront of the Climate Change campaign over the past year orso. In Copenhagen,the President played an important role and had close interaction with the topglobal and European leaders. The Cabinet to raise awareness had even held ameeting underwater which had received wide spread media attention globally. Thegovernment focus is thus paying off in the form of a large fund allocation bythe European Commission which would enable it to bring about sustainabledevelopment to avoid the adverse impact of climate change on the atoll islandstate.

JAN 2010

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