Maldives minister calls for multilateralism at UN assembly

New Delhi: The age of isolation is long over, and it is high time we put efforts for multilateralism to benefit everyone on the globe, Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, said on Friday. Shahid, the Foreign Minister of Maldives, was emphasising the importance of multilateralism in his address of the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2022 in New Delhi, PTI reported citing a NewsVoir press release.

At the valedictory session on 'Collective Action for Ensuring a Sustainable and Equitable Future' at The Energy and Resources Institute's (TERI) annual flagship Summit, Shahid said that none would succeed if they ignore the world around them. If they prioritise a region or issue over others, like neglecting marginalised and vulnerable communities, the world will not succeed, he said.

He urged the international community to support schemes that provide debt relief to economically weaker countries such as least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developed countries (LLDCs), and small island developing states (SIDS). He called for support to these countries' economic well being, tourism etc.

Shahid said that COP 26 did not meet the expectations, but there is hope. Cooperation is needed to check emission levels and to avoid dangerous rates of climate change, he said.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in his inaugural speech to the WSDS 2022 that the Indian people's energy requirements are expected to double in the next two decades. He had urged developed countries to fulfil their commitments on finance and technology transfer to India. Environmental sustainability could be achieved only through climate justice.

WSDS 2022 was on the theme 'Towards a Resilient Planet: Ensuring a Sustainable and Equitable Future.