Maldives welcomes Cancun Agreements
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President of the Maldives Moahamed Nasheed on Thursday pledged the country's backing for the Cancun Agreements on climate change, which were adopted last week at a United Nations meeting in the Mexican seaside resort.
In a letter sent to Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Nasheed said the Maldives "strongly supports" the Cancun Agreements and expressed hope that decisions in Cancun will "form the basis of a new legally-binding treaty to tackle climate change."
The Cancun Agreements built on the success of the Copenhagen Accord, which was brokered at a U.N. climate summit in the Danish capital last year.
The new framework includes key elements of the Copenhagen Accord, such as emission reduction pledges from all countries and 100 billion dollars of funding per year from 2020, to help developing countries adapt to climate change and pursue low carbon growth.
Nasheed congratulated Calderon for his government's "remarkable achievement in successfully brokering the balanced package of decisions now known as the Cancun Agreements."
He said the Cancun Agreements reflect the Maldives' view that all countries share the responsibility in tackling climate change, and developed countries should help developing ones shift towards low carbon development.
The president of the low-lying island country, which is being threatened by sea level rise and at risk of becoming completely submerged, said he was delighted that the "progressive and cooperative outlook underpins the Cancun Agreements."
