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The Government of Maldives and the United Nations in Maldives convened the UNSDCF 2022-2026 Joint Steering Committee (JSC) Meeting today.

02 May 2023

The Government of Maldives and the United Nations in Maldives convened the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026 Joint Steering Committee (JSC) Meeting today. The UNSDCF is the blueprint for the UN development system’s support to the Maldives’ national priorities for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The JSC is the governing body of the UNSDCF. It is co-chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives and the United Nations Resident Coordinator and includes representatives of Government Ministries, and United Nations agencies, funds, and programmes with operational activities in the Maldives. The JSC meets annually to review progress made in the previous year, identify the challenges and review the plans ahead and provide strategic direction and advice for the implementation of the UNSDCF.

This is the first meeting of the JSC to discuss the implementation of the UNSDCF in 2022 and the plans for 2023. In 2022, fifteen UN entities partnered with Government, young people, Local Councils and Women’s Development Committees, State Owned Enterprises (SOEs), Organizations for Persons with Disabilities and representatives of migrants and organizations working on migrant issues, CSOs, private sector, and international community towards achieving the UNSDCF’s results of shared prosperity and inclusive human development for all, sustainable and climate resilient environment, gender-responsive, rights-based and accountable governance and justice.

At the center of the UNSDCF implementation is the focus on investing in people. The implementation of the UNSDCF is rights-driven and upholds the principles of gender equality and women’s empowerment, sustainable development and resilience, and accountability, ensuring that no one is left behind. The details of the results achieved, the challenges faced and the lessons learned in 2022 for the UNSDCF implementation are outlined in the ‘UN Maldives Annual Report 2022’. Through joint efforts, the Government of Maldives and the UN hope to achieve significant progress in the Maldives’ journey where all people meaningfully participate in, contribute to, and benefit equitably from sustainable cultural, economic, and social development and environmental protection, by 2026.

Speaking at the JSC Meeting, Secretary, Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government of Maldives Co-chair for the JSC, Dr. Hussain Niyaz noted that the Cooperation Framework provides the opportunity to meet the exigencies of the Government while also allowing to revisit and revitalize the different contours of partnerships between the UN and the Maldives to fulfill the national development priorities envisioned in the current Strategic Action Plan (SAP 2019-2023).

The UN Resident Coordinator and the UN’s co-chair for the JSC, Ms. Catherine Haswell thanked the Government and the stakeholders for their active engagement in implementing the first year of the UNSDCF. Recognising that 2023 marks the mid-point of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and with only 7 years remaining to achieve the SDGs, she encouraged all partners to work together and accelerate progress so that no Maldivians are left behind. She further highlighted the opportunity of the Global SDG Summit to be held in September 2023 in New York as a critical opportunity for the Maldives to reiterate its commitment to achieving the SDGs for the benefit of all Maldivians.