Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef has called for urgent and collective international action to tackle the growing threats posed by glacier loss and sea level rise.

He made the appeal while addressing the High-Level International Conference on the Preservation of Glaciers, held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Speaking during the opening session, the Vice President expressed the Maldives’ deep concern over the accelerating melting of glaciers and its wide-ranging global impact, especially on vulnerable nations like small island states.

Highlighting the Maldives’ climate commitments, he noted that the country has submitted its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) this year, presenting a clear and ambitious pathway toward resilience and low-carbon development.

With adequate international support, the Maldives aims to cut emissions by 1.52 million tonnes by 2035 and to generate 33% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2028.

Vice President Latheef urged all nations to update and submit their NDCs before COP30, calling for greater ambition, transparency, and urgency in global climate action.

He stressed that these commitments must be transformative rather than symbolic, if the world is to successfully confront the climate crisis.

He further emphasized the importance of tailored international support for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), urging the global community to ensure access to concessional climate finance, appropriate technologies, and effective capacity-building measures to address the unique challenges they face.

In closing, the Vice President reaffirmed the Maldives’ unwavering commitment to global climate cooperation and stressed the need for enhanced solidarity and coordinated efforts to address the increasingly urgent issues of glacier retreat and sea level rise.