President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has called for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to be recognised as centres of innovation, entrepreneurship and economic opportunity, arguing that climate vulnerability represents only one part of the island story.
Speaking as chief guest at the opening of the SIDS Global Business Network Forum 2026 and Island Investment Forum in the Maldives, President Muizzu said island nations have repeatedly transformed their geographic and economic constraints into opportunities.
The forums are being held from 23 to 25 August.
“Vulnerability is only one part of our story. The other is determination,” President Muizzu said, highlighting how island states have turned limitations into ingenuity, distance into connectivity and challenges into opportunities.
He placed the private sector at the heart of that transformation, describing micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises as engines of SIDS economies. Their smaller scale, he said, can allow island countries to become testing grounds for new technologies, ideas and practical solutions.
President Muizzu also identified digital connectivity as essential economic infrastructure capable of expanding trade, financial services, tourism and creative industries. He said the Maldives is pursuing this approach through the Maldives 2.0 agenda, using digital technology to overcome geographic and scale-related constraints.
Highlighting measures underway in the Maldives, the President pointed to targeted financing for start-ups and young entrepreneurs, including dedicated support for women-led businesses. He also cited the modernised Foreign Investment Act, plans to establish a Trade Acceleration Zone by 2027, and investments in logistics and floating solar energy.
President Muizzu concluded by calling on the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) to develop the Global Business Network into a central platform connecting promising island businesses and ideas with investors, technology, partners and international markets.
