The Speaker of People’s Majlis Hon. Mohamed Aslam is currently in Kampala, Uganda taking part in the 27th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth. This Conference is scheduled to take place from the 3rd to the 6th of January 2024. The Speaker and his delegation travelled to Uganda on the 1st of January.

During discussions regarding the Environment, Climate Change, and the Role of Parliament, The Speaker Hon. Mohamed Aslam made an intervention and gave a speech. In his speech, the Speaker highlighted the on the ground environmental situation in the Maldives, and reiterated the fact that Maldives is one of the most vulnerable countries to Climate Change, especially rising sea level. The Speaker’s speech also included the steps taken at a national level to combat climate change and the deteriorating environment, and the challenges faced in this work.

In this speech, the Speaker Hon. Mohamed Aslam also mentioned the Maldivian national ambition to reach Net Zero by 2030. He further explained the role of the Parliament in this endeavor, especially the work done by the Environment and Climate Change Committee of the People’s Majlis of Maldives.

The Speaker of People’s Majlis Hon. Mohamed Aslam also met with the The Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, on the sidelines of this conference. During this meeting, both Speakers spoke of the five-decade old close diplomatic relations between Maldives and Sri Lanka and discussed avenues to continue these relations in the future.

The Speaker of People’s Majlis Hon. Mohamed Aslam also met with Speaker of Parliament of Uganda. In this meeting, the Speaker Anita Among agreed to deepen Parliamentary diplomacy between the two countries. Speaker Among expressed keenness to learn from the Maldives on best practices in tourism and management of adverse effects of climate change.

The Speaker of People’s Majlis Hon. Mohamed Aslam is scheduled to return to Maldives on the 8th of January 2024.