UN General Assembly
1988

The Maldives is particularly concerned about any damage to the marine environment and the question of the sea-level rise. The immediate effects and the threats of nature on countries like the Maldives may not be as frightful and gloomy as described and dramatized by some newspaper reports. Our tourist attractions and the fishing activities will remain intact and these two vital industries may prosper for many decades to come without the fear of the country being drowned. Nevertheless we have embarked upon a programme of protecting the populated Islands from possible natural calamities. We thank the friendly countries, particularly Japan, for assisting us in this initiative and for their Interest in the problem. Maldives therefore strongly supports the call for environmental preservation and is already a party to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. We urge all States to care lovingly for the environment and we reiterate the old maxim that prevention is better than cure.