The United States has praised the “incredible role” played by the Maldives in highlighting the issue of the climate crisis and called the archipelago one of the “boldest and most ambitious” countries in the world. 
 
Thanking the Maldives, United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu said the entire globe is now waking up to the challenges faced by climate change. 

“We want to be bold. I can see that the Maldives is one of the boldest and most ambitious countries on the planet,” Lu, who was visiting the region, was quoted as saying by Raajje tv in Male. He further added that the time has come for all of us to come together, the bigger economies as well as the smaller economies, to band together in the battle against climate change. 

He also lauded the Maldivian government’s ambitious plan to reach net-zero by 2030. Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, who is also the President of 76th UNGA, has shown “such incredible” leadership in convincing the globe that more joint action, he added. 

During his visit to the Maldives, he reiterated that bigger economies needed to “do more”. 

Significantly, the Maldives, an Indian Ocean archipelago, has continuously highlighted the danger of climate-induced challenges and raised demands of increased finances to small and island countries that remain the most vulnerable. Lu also expressed his expectations for what can be done with joint cooperation, adding that the U.S. wants to be a responsible global partner.

(SAM)