“I ask the leaders represented here: what have you been doing? What happened to the pledges made in Rio and Kyoto? Have you kept your promises?” asks Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms Dunya Maumoon at her speech at the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit held in New York last night. Continuing in her speech, Minister Dunya stressed that climate change does not differentiate between small or big, rich or poor. “The assumption that some countries are safe from climate change because of their geography or their economic power is a dangerous myth”, said the Minister. She urged countries to take responsibility for their actions.
The Minister asserted that Maldives stands ready to make the pledge to take bold action and be part of the global solution by committing to a low-emission development future. The Minister called on the leaders to put fear and hesitance aside, and show strong leadership, real political commitment and the courage to make difficult choices. Minister Dunya ended her speech by asking the UN Secretary General “to make a pledge to hold the emitting countries accountable”.
Ahead of next year’s crucial Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC in Paris, the Climate Summit 2014 is intended to provide a unique platform for leaders to gear towards a vision rooted in action that will enable a meaningful global agreement in 2015
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