The Negotiators How a Small Island Nation Pushed for a Deal on Loss and Damage
Jan 5, 2026
Aminath Shauna, former environment minister of the Maldives, is a passionate climate negotiator who has fought tirelessly for loss and damage financing. She shares her journey from battling developing country skepticism to securing a monumental deal at COP27. With anecdotes of diving with negotiators and the strategic pivot to 'particularly vulnerable,' she reveals the power of relationship-building and coalition work in climate diplomacy. Shauna's insights highlight the emotional stakes of negotiations, emphasizing the need to focus on the most affected communities.
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Scuba Dive That Shifted Minds
- Aminath Shauna described an unplanned scuba dive with John Kerry where informal conversation shifted perspectives.
- Seeing coral reefs in person made the climate threat personal and changed the tone of negotiation talks.
Activism Forged Under Repression
- Shauna recounted growing up under an authoritarian regime and becoming an activist who was arrested twice.
- Those experiences shaped her fearlessness and willingness to take risks in climate politics.
Delay Equals Political Failure
- The Glasgow outcome created a year of delay that felt unacceptable to frontline nations.
- Shauna framed continued delay as a political failure that pushed small islands to demand concrete results at COP27.