The Maldives and the United Nations (UN) have reviewed the progress of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026 at the Joint Steering Committee (JSC). The UNSDCF is the blueprint for the United Nations (UN) development system’s support of the national priorities of the Maldives 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 Resident Coordinator at the UN and includes representatives of government ministries, and UN 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.
It 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 the government, youth, local councils and women’s development committees (WDCs), State Owned Enterprises (SOEs), organisations for persons with disabilities and representatives of migrants, and organisations working on migrant issues, private sector, and the 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 centre of the UNSDCF implementation is the focus on investing in the public. 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. Through joint efforts, the Maldives and the UN hope to achieve significant progress in the journey of the Maldives by 2026.
Speaking at the JSC meeting, the Secretary of Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Co-chair at JSC Dr. Hussain Niyaz noted that the Cooperation Framework provides the opportunity to meet the exigencies of the government of the Maldives while also allowing to revisit and revitalise 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.
Meanwhile, Resident Coordinator at UN and the Co-chair for JSC Catherine Haswell thanked the government of the Maldives and the stakeholders for their active engagement in implementing the first year of the UNSDCF. She also 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.