VP Faisal: Maldives committed nitrogen management through informed policies

Vice President Faisal Naseem, on Monday, reiterated Maldives’ commitment addressing the global environmental agenda through the development of informed policies on nitrogen management in the Maldives.

He made the remark whilst speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the ‘South Asian Nitrogen Hub’ (SANH) which is being held in the Maldives.

During his speech, VP Faisal emphasized the importance of holding the SANH regional meeting in the Maldives and its contribution to providing an academic and research-based perspective on the issues related to nitrogen management.

He commended the Maldives National University (MNU) for leading the program in the Maldives in collaboration with the stakeholders.

VP Faisal also underscored the vulnerability of the Maldives due to climate change and stressed that the negative impacts on the environment had continuously threatened the country's economy, industries, businesses, and the health and well-being of the local community. Therewith, he emphasized on the importance of setting down nitrogen emission reduction targets in policy instruments and sectoral plans and to ensure the effective implementation of these plans.

Noting that while the current population of two billion in the South Asia region is projected to double by 2050 – VP Faisal underscored the simultaneous double of the fertilizer input. On this note, he detailed that the region is also expected to have the highest nitrogen inputs in the world by that time, also highlighting many challenges this would bring, including food security and environmental and developmental concerns.

During the ceremony, VP Faisal inaugurated the Massive Open Learning Introductory Course on Nitrogen and launched the Maldives' Country Report, which outlines the nitrogen status and management strategies.

SANH meeting is attended by delegates from the United Kingdom (UK) and eight South Asian countries; India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.