The Government of Maldives will host the launching of the Glasgow-Sharm el-Sheikh work programme on the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) in the Maldives from May 16 – 17. The event will see the attendance of high level representatives from the UNFCCC, COP26 Presidency, incoming COP27 Presidency, policy experts, and Government officials from developed countries, SIDS and other vulnerable countries’.

 

The GGA is a key objective of the Paris Agreement, and aims to enhance adaptive capacity, resilience, and reduce vulnerability in the context of holding global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees C. Little progress has been made in defining and operationalising the GGA for many years, and with the intensifying pace of global heating and its associated impacts, this gap has become more evident.

 

At COP26 in Glasgow last year, Parties agreed to initiate the launching of a two-year work programme to do further work on the GGA.  In support, the Maldives, a small island state with unique vulnerabilities and a leading voice in international efforts to address climate change, announced its intention to host a launching event of the work programme to serve as an opportunity to build momentum and exchange information. The Maldives, like many other small island development states (SIDS) and vulnerable countries face innumerable challenges in building resilience and adapting to climate change. These challenges include a consistent lack of investment, technical resources and capacity to drive forward and implement adaptation needs in their own countries.

 

The launch event will focus on enhancing political support to implement the GGA work programme. It will provide an opportunity for Parties to share experiences on their adaptation and resilience building efforts and challenges, and exchange views on how the findings from the Working Group II Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) can be considered within the work programme.

 

“The cumulative scientific evidence is unequivocal: Climate change is a threat to human well-being and planetary health. Any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.” (IPCC Working Group II Report – Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability)

 

“We have seen the world urgently mobilise innovation and funding to address global challenges like Covid-19, when it wants to. As the science has outlined, there is no greater challenge than the climate emergency, and we must work together in order to minimise further impact on the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable.” – Sabra Noordeen, Special Envoy for Climate Change

 

“The world is already seeing the devastating impacts of climate change and the increased costs on lives and livelihoods in areas where resilience and adaptive capacity is weak or non – existent. We must address both the causes and the impacts of climate change immediately and together. We have 91 months to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C.” – Aminath Shauna, Minister of Environment Climate Change and Technology.