Maldives president backs small island nations’ right to choose development partners at COP31

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu said Wednesday that small island nations should have the right to choose their own development partners while speaking at the COP31 summit in Antalya, Türkiye. "We need a global system that empowers small island developing states to determine their own development partners. The Maldives is not asking for sympathy. We are calling for justice, responsibility and action to fulfill obligations under international treaties and abide by commitments," he said.

He urged developed countries to honor their climate finance commitments and called for reforms to the international financial architecture to account for the unique vulnerabilities of small island developing states. Muizzu also called on international financial institutions and credit rating agencies to change how they assess climate investments, stressing the need for adequate financing, technology transfer and political commitment to turn promises into measurable progress.

Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine meanwhile called for Taiwan's inclusion in global climate discussions, saying "all voices must be heard," and highlighted its efforts to decouple economic growth from carbon emissions and strengthen resilience. She reiterated the Pacific region’s opposition to coal production and gas exports, saying that while every country "has the right to develop, no one has the right to pollute their neighbors."

Heine also urged developed countries to increase climate finance, triple annual adaptation funding to at least $120 billion by 2035 and make loss and damage funds more accessible to small island states. Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. also called for Taiwan's participation in COP and other UN conferences, describing it as a "strong and important partner" in disaster resilience, energy transition and food security. "We are at war with a crisis we did not create.

A war no peace treaty can end, only urgent action can," he said, urging countries to limit global warming overshoot beyond 1.5C, expand renewable energy and fulfill their international obligations. Whipps also called for stronger science-based climate action, investment in ocean protection and resilience. Federated States of Micronesia President Wesley W. Simina called for rapid methane reductions, greater energy efficiency and a just transition away from fossil fuels to limit global warming.

He urged predictable and accessible climate finance for small island states, prioritizing freshwater security, coastal protection, resilient infrastructure and public health and food security. "The Pacific does not come to this conference merely to describe what we stand to lose. We come with solutions, with determination, and with a long tradition of looking after one another," he said. Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Monday urged COP31 to put global "sympathy into the system" and turn "promises into action," recalling the outpouring of sympathy Nepal received following devastating floods in August.

Addressing the opening plenary, Khanal called for a dedicated work program on mountain climate change, stronger adaptation financing and protection of fragile mountain ecosystems. He also urged countries to keep the 1.5C target alive and support Nepal's recovery efforts.