Minister engaged in the virtual panel of the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development
His Excellency Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs, engaged today in the virtual panel “Mobilizing international solidarity, accelerating action and embarking on new pathways to realize the 2030 Agenda and the Samoa Pathway: Small Island Developing States” of the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF) organized by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. This session featured resource persons and country representatives from across the three Small Island Developing States (SIDS) regions, who shared their challenges and strategies in responding to COVID-19, and approaches for realizing the transformational change necessary for building resilience in these economies.
Speaking in his capacity as a Resource Person in the panel, Minister Shahid briefed the audience on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Maldives’ tourism industry, as well as the government’s national recovery plan, with its strong focus on building resilience and the diversification of the economy. Minister Shahid also called on the international community to provide support to SIDS, including the provision of fiscal spaces and the re-examination of the eligibility criteria for SIDS access to concessional loans and grants. He further emphasized the importance of multilateral instruments to support these countries with investments in prevention and risk reduction, to help them break the vicious cycle of high debt and inadequate resources for resilient recovery.
The HLPF is the central UN platform that oversees the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The theme for the 2020 session of the HLPF is “Accelerated action and transformative pathways: Realizing the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.”
ENDS