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From Climate Home By Thoriq Ibrahim This week all eyes are on United Nations headquarters in New York City, where the international community is gathering to sign the Paris climate change agreement. But here on this drought-prone island, thousands of kilometers from both cities, the global war against climate change has already begun. Funadhoo is the site… Continue reading How the Maldives are putting climate funds to work

Last December in Paris, in the middle of challenging climate change negotiations, small islands captured the attention of delegates and international media alike by refusing to budge on their long-time call for a n ambitious 1.5 degree Celsius target to be reflected in the final agreement. Many veterans of the talks saw the call as… Continue reading New Study Affirms Island Stance

From Climate Home By Dunya Maumoon Today Fiji will make a formal appeal to international donors for assistance in rebuilding after being hit by one of the strongest tropical storms in history. Cyclone Winston, which slammed into the Pacific Island nation on 19 February is just the latest in a series of extreme weather events to impact small… Continue reading Maldives foreign minister calls on world to stand with Fiji

UNITED NATIONS–Fiji appealed to the international community today for assistance to recover from Cyclone Winston, one of the strongest storms ever to make landfall in recorded history, as a United Nations assessment estimates damage from the storm to be around $500 million USD. The death toll stands at 42 and at least 62,000 people remain… Continue reading New Assessment Puts Cyclone Winston Damage to Fiji at $500 million USD

The “Steering Committee on Partnership for SIDS,” co-chaired by Italy and the Maldives, held its inaugural meeting yesterday in the ECOSOC Chamber at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The group, which is open to all UN members includes representatives from islands, developing and developed nations around the world, formed to help sustain and… Continue reading Steering Committee Ushers in New Era of Sustainable Development

Mr. President, I have the honour of delivering this statement on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, a coalition of 44 coastal and low-lying islands states that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.  We associate with the statement delivered on behalf of the G77. Thank you for what has been… Continue reading Closing Statement Paris Agreement

From Washington Post LE BOURGET, France — The Paris climate-change conference was supposed to be about the needs of big countries and what they are willing to do to slow the warming of Earth’s atmosphere. But in the end, the two weeks of sometimes round-the-clock negotiations have focused at least as much on some of… Continue reading Big Story on Little Islands: ‘Tiny islands drive huge ambition’

In recognition of the 25th anniversary of the Alliance of Small Island States, the group’s chair produced a booklet with words and photos that trace the history of the influential coalition, from 1990 to the crucial Paris climate negotiations this year.

This article first appeared on Reuters Trust.org By Robert F. Van Lierop This week, the eyes of the world are on one of the most important international gatherings in the history of mankind. Some will call it the successful culmination of a long and difficult process of negotiating a legally binding international set of climate… Continue reading Words of Wisdom: Robert Van Lierop, first AOSIS Chair, on UNFCCC and History

Last night, at COP 21 in Paris, the Maldives held a side event focusing on the country’s island resiliency programme. Resiliency has become a larger issue at the climate negotiations in recent years as the impacts of the crisis take an ever large toll on vulnerable communities. The event featured Maldives environment minister, Thoriq Ibrahim, Lexumbourg’s environment minster,… Continue reading Maldives talks climate resilience