Shauna Aminath (born 31 January 1985) is a Maldivian politician and former current Minister of the Environment, Climate Change, and Technology of the Maldives.

Early life

Shauna Aminath is a native of the

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

. Aminath began activism in the ninth grade, where she spoke out against government policies in a school debate. She attended

Pearson College UWC Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific (Pearson College UWC) is one of eighteen schools and colleges around the world in the UWC (United World Colleges) movement. It is named after the late Canadian Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pear ...

in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, for two years and earned her bachelor's degree from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri in 2008. She worked for former president

Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed GCSK (; born 17 May 1967) is a Maldivian politician and activist currently serving as the 19th speaker of the People's Majlis since May 2019. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Party, he served as President of the ...

and is now president and policy secretary of the Maldivian Democratic Party youth wing. She returned to the Maldives.

Government work

Aminath worked as Nasheed's deputy undersecretary. During his presidential term, the government worked to show the world how much

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

and the

sea level rise Globally, sea levels are rising due to human-caused climate change. Between 1901 and 2018, the globally averaged sea level rose by , or 1–2 mm per year on average.IPCC, 2019Summary for Policymakers InIPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cry ...

would effect the Maldives. The military forced Nasheed to resign on February 7, 2012, in a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

. Aminath constructed a statement after the president's resignation stating her concern and called for a new, free election. This caused uproar with the opposing party vying for control of the country. Aminath was arrested on September 17, 2012. She was released five days later upon the conditions that she not participate in protests for the next twenty one days. Aminath was arrested on several other occasions due to police forces trying to break up peaceful demonstrations and rallies.

Minister of the Environment, Climate Change, and Technology, 2021–present

In May 2021, Aminath was appointed Minister of the Environment, Climate Change, and Technology for the Maldives. Aminath, along with

Teresa Ribera Teresa Ribera Rodríguez (born 19 May 1969) is a Spanish jurist, university professor, and politician who has served as the Minister for the Ecological Transition of Spain since 2018, after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez coming into power followi ...

, led the working group at the

2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP27, was the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference, held from 6 November until 20 November 2022 in Sharm El Shei ...

that facilitated consultations on

mitigation Mitigation is the reduction of something harmful or the reduction of its harmful effects. It may refer to measures taken to reduce the harmful effects of hazards that remain ''in potentia'', or to manage harmful incidents that have already occur ...

Activism

Aminath works for the Maldivian Democratic party as president of the youth wing and to return the party to power. She is active in voicing her concerns for her country and climate change. She is involved with many organizations that aid the global refugee issue. Some of her work can be seen in the documentary '' The Island President'', which follows the story of former president Nasheed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aminath, Shauna Living people 1985 births 21st-century Maldivian women politicians 21st-century Maldivian politicians People educated at a United World College Westminster College (Missouri) alumni Government ministers of the Maldives Maldivian Democratic Party politicians