Now in its third edition, SINC brings together global space experts, policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers to explore how space technologies can support the sustainable development, resilience, and security of island nations worldwide — covering themes from climate monitoring and coastal resilience to disaster risk reduction and emergency response
At the conference, Ahmed Shabin brought the IFRC’s Earth’s Missing Treaty campaign into the conversation, highlighting a critical gap in international humanitarian law: there is still no global treaty that protects people facing disasters. In January 2027, States will begin negotiating the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters (PPED) Treaty — and its outcome will shape whether early warnings translate into real protection for the communities that need it most.
The session connected this global advocacy to the ground-level realities of disaster risk management in the Maldives, including MRC’s ongoing work with the Maldives Meteorological Service to train volunteers in maintaining weather stations on remote islands - a practical example of how community networks and technical systems must work together to make early warning meaningful at the last mile.
For a small island nation like the Maldives, the stakes of the PPED Treaty negotiations are real. MRC joins the IFRC in calling for stronger international rules so that aid can move faster across borders, global cooperation is clearer and more seamless, and vulnerable communities are better protected before, during, and after disasters.
Learn more about the campaign at earthsmissingtreaty.org