Minister: SIDs in need of financial assistance to address environmental challenges

Environment Minister Ali Shareef, on Monday, emphasized the urgent need for an accessible financial assistance mechanism to address the environmental challenges confronting Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Speaking during the high-level segment of COP17, currently underway in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the Minister said land degradation in island nations such as the Maldives cannot be adequately addressed through a drylands-oriented framework alone.

Minister Shareef underscored that coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, and the escalating vulnerability of low-lying environments constitute equally significant drivers of land degradation, yet remain largely unaccounted for within existing financial architecture.

In his remarks at the Finance Day of the High-Level Segment of UNCCD COP17, Minister Ali Shareef noted that land degradation in island nations such as Maldives cannot be adequately addressed through a drylands-oriented framework alone.
He further noted that coastal erosion,… pic.twitter.com/ZcJx0WkoVH

— Min. of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, MV (@MoEnvmv) August 24, 2026

He called on the international community to recognize the urgency of coastal land degradation, and ensure finance mechanisms to address these drivers are responsive to the needs and accessible for SIDS including through scaling-up of tailored blue-green finance solutions suited to island-specific contexts.

The Minister is attending the conference, which concludes this Thursday, accompanied by Ahmed Shan, Director of Environmental Conservation, and Aishath Alhan Hameed, Senior Surveyor.