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25 May 2023
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The Sustainable Development Goals in Maldives
The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.
Press Release
07 May 2023
Joint Steering Committee Meeting
(02 May 2023, Male’): 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. (02 May 2023, Male’): 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.
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Press Release
22 March 2023
MALDIVES INTEGRATED NATIONAL FINANCING FRAMEWORK (INFF)
Malé, March 21, 2023: The Maldives Minister of Finance has formally endorsed the Maldives Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF). The Maldives INFF delivers a comprehensive financing strategy on climate action and provides a set of highly action-oriented strategies to unlock both domestic and external resources; from the private sector, international financing institutions, philanthropic, and impact and cause-driven sources of financing, to augment and scale-up existing public sources of financing towards climate and social sector financing needs.
The strategy aims to support the financing of the Maldives Strategic Action Plan (2019-2023), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and other national and sectoral development plans to enable the achievement of the national and international climate and sustainable development commitments made by the country. The INFF is a core priority identified in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2026 between the UN and the Government of Maldives. The financing strategy puts achieving gender-equality at the heart of all financing actions, as an important cross-cutting theme and provides specific policy options to ensure that the actions proposed under the strategy are gender-sensitive.
Following the launch of the INFF, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer announced the intention to establish the Maldives Climate Finance Hub (MCFH) within the Ministry of Finance, with the technical assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as the primary mechanism to implement the financing strategy and provide overall technical expertise to the Ministry of Finance and other relevant sector ministries and agencies on climate finance matters. An Advisory Board will be established with representation from national and international stakeholders, to provide advice and guidance to the MCFH.
The INFF is a global UN initiative being implemented in more than 86 countries worldwide to finance National Development Plans (NDPs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There are currently 18 Small Developing Island States (SIDS) developing their own INFFs and today, the Maldives becomes the first SIDS country to develop and formally endorse an INFF and financing strategy.
Speaking at the INFF launch, Minister Ameer stated, “This financing strategy will advance the Maldives climate agenda, to transform our economy away from fossil fuel dependency, strengthen resilience to external shocks, and drive existing and new investments towards sustainable and inclusive growth.”
The development of the Maldives INFF began under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance in June 2020. Through a United Nations Joint Programme led by the UN Resident Coordinator, UNDP Maldives provided technical advisory to the Ministry of Finance to develop the INFF. The process of INFF development was spearheaded by a high-level Steering Committee consisting of 13 Government agencies, co-chaired by the Honorable Minister of Finance of the Maldives, Ibrahim Ameer and by the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Catherine Haswell. The INFF is the result of an extensive consultative process whereby, stakeholders from public, private, NGOs, industry bodies and IFIs provided support and input.
United Nations Resident Coordinator Catherine Haswell noted the importance of the delivery of this work, in the context of intergovernmental negotiations for the next COP on Climate Action in Egypt in November 2023, the currently ongoing meeting on the Global Goal for Adaptation (GGA) being hosted by the Maldives, the 2023 UN Water Conference (22-24 March), and the SDG Summit in New York in September. Moreover, it is a critical piece which demonstrates the expertise and role of the UN in upper middle-income countries as a provider of integrated policy advice with the potential to unlock a series of portfolios which can accelerate delivery of the 2030 Agenda.
UNDP Resident Representative in the Maldives, Enrico Gaveglia congratulated Minister Ameer, and stated, “You have often been confronted with denial of market access because of unfavorable demographic accounting or the so-called economies of scale. I can assure you, if we all manage to put a value tag to your natural resources, you’d leapfrog to be the holder of a global natural asset that shall be safeguarded with all our efforts simply because it benefits all – you in Maldives and elsewhere.”
This collaboration between United Nations and the Ministry of Finance continues the value-added joint effort in enhancing the parallel implementation of the Maldives’ development agenda, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Gender-Responsive Integrated Climate Financing Strategy endorsed by the Government of Maldives can be accessed at https://www.finance.gov.mv/public/attachments/lzyzZHIHy0ZWB7Yl17aw16YkFhE5o8DfVxThmruO.pdf
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Story
14 May 2023
Fostering the Power of Young Maldivians
A recent survey supported by USAID showed that 94% of them believe young people should be more involved in political decision-making, and only 47% thought that their local councils engaged with the community effectively.
While strengthening academic and employment opportunities and the inclusion of young people in decision making has been highlighted as a priority for the Government, donors and civil society, the tangible impacts of the policies are slow to be felt by young people, with 28% of youth aged 15 – 35 being out of employment, education or training.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Maldives, Catherine Haswell, heard similar concerns during her visits last year to twenty of the 182 local islands that make up the archipelagic country in the Indian Ocean. That inspired Ms. Haswell to lead the design of the UN Maldives Youth Strategy, which places young people at the heart of the UN’s development efforts. “I was meeting plenty of enthusiastic people, who wanted to become engaged in UN’s efforts, while noticing that in our daily work, most of our conversations were with Government ministries and traditional partners. I decided to reach out directly to young people through social media, to find young people in their own spaces. From here, the UN Maldives Youth Strategy was born,” said Ms. Haswell.
“We need young voices to be heard – and policies and decisions that give practical opportunities for meaningful work, education opportunities. The UN has a unique role to play here to help get sensitive issues on the table of decision makers, with the unique policy advice that UN agencies provide to Government”, she added regarding the Youth Strategy. Also stemming from the visits and showcasing its convening power, the UN in Maldives helped a group of local young volunteers organise a community event with over 200 people last year, providing logistical support and staff. The Kandu Faaraverin (“Ocean Guardians”) Games included challenges to surmount across the greater capital area, to highlight the impact of human actions on the oceans. This initiative started a movement of young people which continues to gain momentum and plan new activities. Because there are limited opportunities for young people to mobilise, and with credibility to ask for partnerships and resources, the Resident Coordinator Office and the UN country team were instrumental in making it happen, creating a space for youth engagement. And this was not the only one. The UN in Maldives also convened people in the islands around a youth meeting space named Zuvaanunge Holhuashi, to discuss issues facing the community. Mental health, access to justice, healthy relationships, and employment were some of the challenges the young participants highlighted. “With this initiative, young people have more opportunities to give their opinions and views in decision making process, governance of the nation, and how policies are formulated as well. Getting the youth’s contribution and involvement in developing and executing high impact projects and policies are important for the development of the Maldives,” said 25-year-old Moosa Meekail Ahmed Jaleel. The youth meeting space will be carried forward to other islands, and across the country, this year. The Resident Coordinator’s leadership has established the framework for the UN Maldives’ team to share its powerful platform with young people in leadership, public engagement, and decision making for their future. “Young Maldivians are burning with creative ideas on how to do things better. We don’t need to teach them or empower them. We just need to give them the spotlight and listen to the leaders of the future,” said Ms. Haswell.
While strengthening academic and employment opportunities and the inclusion of young people in decision making has been highlighted as a priority for the Government, donors and civil society, the tangible impacts of the policies are slow to be felt by young people, with 28% of youth aged 15 – 35 being out of employment, education or training.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Maldives, Catherine Haswell, heard similar concerns during her visits last year to twenty of the 182 local islands that make up the archipelagic country in the Indian Ocean. That inspired Ms. Haswell to lead the design of the UN Maldives Youth Strategy, which places young people at the heart of the UN’s development efforts. “I was meeting plenty of enthusiastic people, who wanted to become engaged in UN’s efforts, while noticing that in our daily work, most of our conversations were with Government ministries and traditional partners. I decided to reach out directly to young people through social media, to find young people in their own spaces. From here, the UN Maldives Youth Strategy was born,” said Ms. Haswell.
“We need young voices to be heard – and policies and decisions that give practical opportunities for meaningful work, education opportunities. The UN has a unique role to play here to help get sensitive issues on the table of decision makers, with the unique policy advice that UN agencies provide to Government”, she added regarding the Youth Strategy. Also stemming from the visits and showcasing its convening power, the UN in Maldives helped a group of local young volunteers organise a community event with over 200 people last year, providing logistical support and staff. The Kandu Faaraverin (“Ocean Guardians”) Games included challenges to surmount across the greater capital area, to highlight the impact of human actions on the oceans. This initiative started a movement of young people which continues to gain momentum and plan new activities. Because there are limited opportunities for young people to mobilise, and with credibility to ask for partnerships and resources, the Resident Coordinator Office and the UN country team were instrumental in making it happen, creating a space for youth engagement. And this was not the only one. The UN in Maldives also convened people in the islands around a youth meeting space named Zuvaanunge Holhuashi, to discuss issues facing the community. Mental health, access to justice, healthy relationships, and employment were some of the challenges the young participants highlighted. “With this initiative, young people have more opportunities to give their opinions and views in decision making process, governance of the nation, and how policies are formulated as well. Getting the youth’s contribution and involvement in developing and executing high impact projects and policies are important for the development of the Maldives,” said 25-year-old Moosa Meekail Ahmed Jaleel. The youth meeting space will be carried forward to other islands, and across the country, this year. The Resident Coordinator’s leadership has established the framework for the UN Maldives’ team to share its powerful platform with young people in leadership, public engagement, and decision making for their future. “Young Maldivians are burning with creative ideas on how to do things better. We don’t need to teach them or empower them. We just need to give them the spotlight and listen to the leaders of the future,” said Ms. Haswell.
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Story
08 March 2023
Fathimath Zimna, An Advocate for Decent Work
My role as a leader is to empower and educate workers to ensure safe working conditions, promote rights at work, and engage with relevant national and international stakeholder institutions to promote social dialogue. The trade union movement in the Maldives is very young and vibrant, and it was a transformative journey for a person to play an integral role as a leader. Our main work was around campaigning and lobbying to relevant government agencies and institutions to enact an Industrial Relations (IR) Act and an Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH), which are in line with the international labour standards. My few years as a leader of the trade union movement in the Maldives have been a transformative journey, both professionally and personally. The first minimum wage in the Maldives is a significant milestone for the labour movement, and I am glad that I was able to play a crucial role in the fixing of the minimum wage as a board member on the Minimum Wage Advisory Board.
I was privileged to be brought up by a father who believed that the girl child should be provided with equal access to education and build an identity of her own. Hence, growing up, I was given all opportunities and choices of study and career. Furthermore, because I was born during a period when the Maldives government regarded education as a basic human right, there was no difference in my opportunities for growth and education as a girl. The main challenge is to navigate personal life, professional work, and the volunteer role as a trade union leader. The magnitude of the burden is reduced because I am blessed to have a very supportive partner and a caretaker for my children. Male peers and colleagues with whom I work in the trade union movement have been a huge support for my leadership development.
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08 March 2023
Hamsha Hussain, Co-Founder of Zero Waste Maldives
Hamsha Hussain is a driven and passionate climate advocate and co-founder of Zero Waste Maldives, a non-government organisation aiming to promote a ‘Zero Waste Low Impact Lifestyle in the Maldives’ with a vision to eliminate waste in our environment through education and awareness, provision of alternatives as well as ‘waste to wealth’ programmes.
Hamsha is an architect by profession with a keen interest in architectural heritage. She did her Bachelor of Architectural design from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.
As a women living in a country facing an existential climate crisis, Hamsha has been exploring solutions to reduce waste. As such, Hamsha has the opportunity to partner with UNFPA on a pilot project that links waste reduction and climate action to female menstrual health – the Cupvert Project. This project has opened up a platform to raise awareness on these issues and introduce sustainable solutions to meet the demands of women and girls. Talking about her professional life, Hamsha says, “I have mostly had positive experiences in my career and have not faced significant challenges due to my gender. However, there have been instances where I have felt excluded in male-dominated environments, which can be intimidating. In such situations, I have been lucky to receive valuable advice from my colleagues on how to handle the situation.”
Hamsha is an inspiration to many young women and girls. Her work has contributed immensely towards breaking the stigma and creating space for conversations around reproductive health, especially amongst young people, marginalised communities, including persons with disabilities. In 2021, she hosted a webinar on Menstrual Health Day, the first public discussion on menstrual health together with UNFPA and SHE. The same year Hamsha and her team hosted a session for the deaf community, introducing issues of reproductive health and sustainable period products, furthering efforts to expand critical information to everyone and to ensure no one is left behind. She recounts these sessions as some of her proudest achievements. Going back to her academic roots, Hamsha also recollects the time she worked to see the reassembly of Kalhuvakaru Mosque in 2019 as one of the highest achievements of her professional career as an architect.
As a women supporting women, especially young women and girls, this is what Hamsha wants to say “It is really easy to lose yourself in something that you are passionate about. But always remember to take care of your physical and mental well-being.”
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08 March 2023
Dr. Zeba un Naher, A Dedicated Medical Professional Focused on Science and Technology
Dr. Zeba un Naher offers well-developed knowledge of medical science as she is a dedicated medical professional and teacher with Laboratory experience in Biochemistry. To reach this stability took an eventful journey. Since April 2019 She has been working as assistant professor at School of medicine Maldives National University. She is not only one of the first three faculties but also one of the pioneer researchers of school of medicine. Before that from 2014 she worked as a consultant in biochemistry at the IGMH Department of Laboratory Medicine. She has worked with the Maldivian Red Crescent (MRC) as a volunteer since 2017 to present in various important capacities. As the most important engagement with MRC, she supported information dissemination and contact tracing during the lockdown phase of Covid 19 operations. Her commitment to the operation was remarkable and MRC mentioned “MRC grateful for the service she offered including the translation service as part of the Covid 19 information dissemination operation…. Dr. Zeba Un Naher is an outstanding individual with many admirable qualities. She is well known for her positive attitude. She is well respected throughout the organization for being the “go-to” person for all migrant health issues, and a resource person with a wide range of knowledge”. Dr. Zeba very recently attached with MMWM also.
Her young life is not exceptional than thousands of Bangladeshi Girls' motivation to pursue a career in medicine, obstacles they face in real life, such as arranged marriage and pregnancy, their predisposition to select a limited number of specialties, and circumstances that put them in danger of quitting Dream. But her fortunate dream had a north star to keep her focused on goal.
Like other women Dr. Zeba has been trying to break away from norms and standards set by society. Under untold pressure she has to take a job which not maintaining minimum hygiene or ethical policy. Whole life is a story about marching for equal rights and fighting for a rightful place in the world. It was not very easy to keep engaged with the lab full time along with male colleagues with dignity. To get a job in university you should have merit and for better position and to have sustainability in a male dominating society you need to prove that you are not only equal but also better than your male colleague and you have to update with modern technology, she is a survivor of workplace bullying and even pregnancy discrimination.
Fewer publications, decreased visibility, diminished recognition, and, most importantly, decreased funding, as well as the exclusion of women from the research team is some of the bitter truth observed by her.
Migration of her husband as consultant ophthalmologist led her to leave her 13 years university job and accompany him to keep the family together, to make sure that children will be brought up in harmony and a nice family environment. When she arrived here with a job through an agent came to know that having the same degree MD in clinical Biochemistry, she had been appointed as a Medical Officer post rather than consultant because the assigned hospital does not have the post for consultant Biochemistry.
As a humanitarian worker far from home there was a challenge of balancing her between working hours, family and humanitarian worker, sometimes inclusiveness was in question and working in a crucial way keeping in mind social stigma and stereotype.
The method by which Dr. Zeba develops the power and influence over her own life as well as the capacity to overcome the obstacles that still remain bright as daylight in her mind.
It started with breaking every day stairs up to the sixth floor with full term pregnancy. Being able to stay awake the whole night so that she can get a quiet time to listen to recorded lectures of the teachers and study from the main book. Not missing any class and practicing to be a good auditory learner when her fellow medical students are discussing. Facing the social stigma, sometimes by the very close one as you are mother no need to be desperate, each day the new challenges made her stronger and develop an attitude. She develops her support system by explaining parents the possible obstacles and the situation she was going through, keeping alive some of her hobby, do not know how but her son became source of joy and inspiration
It was not very easy to keep engaged with the lab full time along with male colleagues with dignity. She had to face many difficulties. There were obstacles in every step, though we are telling women empowerment and equality always. She faced male coworker saying that from colleagues that working in the laboratory till night and using the university corridors, roads at that time is not safe for women. Bullied by coworkers as you are trying to keep your dignity and ethics. Sometimes it could threaten your academic career and it is very difficult to come out of that psychological trauma. When she brought out misconduct situation that became harder to handle, she had to take the support of law enforcement agents. Still those days remained as a nightmare. Side by side obstacles and developing herself continued in the name different technical training of Biochemistry Instrument like Dimension –RxL Max, Abbot (AxSym) Analyzer, Stratus CS Dade Behring, Abbott Architect, Immulite, Beckman Coulter -CX9
Molecular biology Instruments like,RT PCR,Biorad HPLC base HBAC analyzer & GENE EXPERT and several quality assurance training including ISO 15189. That was her only goal to make her sound in science and technology, so that her steps will be strong enough not to ripple in the storm of social stigma.
In Maldives her journey started in 2014 as an expatriate as well as a woman. Here her clear understanding was that people will accept you if they feel that you are qualified and important for them.
She submitted her CV to different private and Gov. Hospital. Finally at then CEO of Igmh Brigadier Farath Saheer and Dr. Milza interviewed me and appointed with condition at Biochemistry lab for one month again started to prove herself. As a Consultant Biochemist, Dr. Zeba's work is commended as meticulous and well-organized, with an admirable ability to meet tight deadlines without compromising the quality of work. Among other things, her work in IGMH's laboratory involved resolving problems through data evaluation and examination before selecting corrective steps, completing reports of findings and after 15 days they replied positively, created a post and appointed me as consultant in Biochemistry. Since April 2019 she has been working as assistant professor at School of medicine Maldives National University.
Dr. Zeba is a careful and creative thinker with an eye for details and a devotion to logic, which serve her both in the field of medical sciences and outside it. Dr. Zeba's penetrating mind allows her not only to grasp the basics of our curriculum, but also to formulate highly original and persuasive arguments. She is important part of SM research team. To break the confounding bias of conventional teaching to contemporary teaching learning method and student center method she stress her knowledge and technical skill and for that she went through series of workshop and training, some of them are as follows:
Training on Designing problem Based Learning Packages
Curriculum Overview and special study module implementation and research skills
Quality assurance and accreditation of the medical Programme
Workshop on medical education training for the teacher organized by World Health Organize (WHO) And center for medical education Bangladesh and much more
Still she continue to develop herself as she believed on becoming scholar from personal advancement and also her own teaching .
Dr. Zeba is to be commended for her professionalism, concern for her students, and quality of instruction. She is working from the very first batch of school of medicine. I find her uniquely resourceful and adaptive to the methods of teaching.
Research work led her to 16 national and international scientific papers.
She was awarded The Maldives National University (MNU) Research Grants
1.Association between Iron Status and Thyroid Function, 2019 to 2021 as co-investigator.
2.MTHFR gene C677T polymorphism and its association with folate, homocysteine, infertility, and risk of coronary heart disease pre-folic acid fortification era in female staff attending MNU, as principal investigator.
Dr. Zeba has consistently made a substantial contribution to improving staff development and laboratory productivity. Working as a key focal point Dr. Zeba was instrumental in introducing new parameters to the laboratory through the Total Laboratory Automation project.
As the most recent engagement with Maldivian Red Crescent, Dr. Zeba un Naher supported information dissemination and contact tracing during the lockdown phase of Covid 19 operations. Her commitment to the operation was remarkable and we are grateful for the service she offered including the translation service as part of the Covid 19 information dissemination operation.
In addition to her contributions as a valuable member of the Migrant Advisory Committee,
Dr. Zeba un Naher has also provided her technical expertise to the development of MRC’s strategic Plan 2019-2030. As a result of her active engagement, MRC Strategic Plan 2019-2030 was finalized and adopted at the 10th MRC General Assembly in 2019 with migrant workers identified as a key target group.
She is constantly working to strengthen her sense of self-worth, her ability to make and exercise choices, her access to opportunities and resources, her right to have power over her own lives, both inside and outside the home. From her life Dr. Zeba knows empathy is necessary, more than equality, equity is important and above all one should have the determination and inner strength to fight against any type of obstacles. her capacity to shape social change in order to establish a more just social and economic order on a national and international scale sometimes through teaching the youth, sometimes through contribution towards the society by giving time in various humanitarian work. What She discovered is that by taking small steps toward a very distant goal, one can start to advance more quickly, in that way opportunities outlook unfolds.
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08 March 2023
Aroosha Abdul Sattar, an Information Technologist
Working in the Information Technology Industry of the Maldives since 2010, Aroosha Abdul Sattar (Aru) can be described in many words but can be summarized as a truly resilient woman who has independently built herself from the ground up. Though she stands tall in the IT field today, she certainly did have her fair share of curveballs thrown her way. For International Women’s Day 2023, WHO sat down with Aru; a proud single mother, a female leader in ICT, an educator, and a cancer survivor.
Back in the day, a comprehensive education system did not exist for young children growing up in the small island nation of Maldives that supported nor prepared students to join the IT workforce. “When I was younger, I did have interest towards IT as an area of work. However, there weren’t many job opportunities at all because technology wasn’t advanced and evolved like it has now. In fact, it was only after I studied abroad on a scholarship that I learned the scope of this work and how huge it was.” Aru recalled. “I was fortunate to have a computer and a dial up connection to access the internet from home. This is where I learned to use a computer; at home, during computer class at school and in the library. I eventually started to access the internet from cyber-cafes because it was too costly to keep a dial-up connection at home.” Before her education in IT even began, she had already taught herself critical thinking and problem-solving skills and to trouble shoot, clear viruses, repair and assemble personal computers.
Eventually when she moved overseas to get a formal education, she additionally decided to enroll herself in graphic designing, 3D animation and other skill-based courses which led her to work in a 3D Studio overseas and do freelance graphic designing work. “Even when I gained the initial knowledge and skillset, I was not sure which career to pursue in Maldives because of the lack of opportunities, especially for women in ICT. The industry as we knew it was more male-dominated, and the highest attainable IT-related Government job position was ‘IT Technician’ - not exactly an area of work where women were sought after.” Aru explained. “These are some challenges that exist then and now too. If there had been more opportunities such as internships to help prepare school graduates to integrate themselves into the corporate IT world, it’ll provide them with a clearer pathway.”
Never in her life had it been easy for her to sit sedentary in one place and work. She was more interested in work that required her to get up and move, such as building hardware. Despite her proven expertise in the field, she did hear the occasional diss from co-workers that this was a ‘labor-intensive work which is not suited for a woman’, especially with Aru raising a child alone, while studying, working and providing for the child. “If you have passion towards doing something, you’ll find a way to do it.” Aru shared, “When I worked primarily as a graphic designer and web developer, I also tried to tap into the work my male counterparts oversaw such as setting up networking systems. They did allow me to take part in the work to some extent, but not as much I would’ve wanted, and definitely not as much as a male counterpart had the chance to.”
Today, Aru holds a master’s degree. But even in her earlier work settings, since she didn’t always get a chance to do certain work, which she believes hindered her from growing professionally. “What one studies or observes in a classroom versus real life experiences are completely different.”. In fact, from the beginning of her career till 2022, Aru had been the only female in the ICT departments of workplaces she had worked in. It was only from years 2022 to 2023 when she was able to work with more females in a team. “Unfortunately, still, some people’s mindsets are that women cannot work in IT related fields due to their perceived notion of gender roles (such as being a wife, a mother etc.). IT work can also lead both men and women to follow careers which allow remote-working; especially in bigger companies.” said Aru. “Challenges can happen to anyone whether they are female or male. But when it comes to women and the challenges we face; we are often misconstrued, scrutinized, and seen as a burden. On the plus side, Maldives is much more digitally advanced now compared to the early 2000s. And in comparison, to about four, five years earlier; there are a lot more opportunities for women in IT now.” Ever since she first joined the IT field, she has always been a single parent who has gotten by with a lot of support from her family, colleagues and loved ones. “My sister has been an inspiration for me because she is a very independent woman. No one knows how life can turn out for any of us but becoming independent and being mentally prepared to face any challenge is important and my family, friends and colleagues have supported me to view life from this perspective.”
Aru’s world turned upside down when she was recently diagnosed with Cancer. “I got a lot of support from my workplace, Bank of Maldives. And despite this huge setback, I requested the management to allow me to work, and they complied. Battling with cancer, a lot of my time and energy went into treatment. To fight cancer, I had to stop everything else because my only priority was to stay alive. Still the management at Bank of Maldives gave me a lot of flexibility to work remotely and in my own time. This was a huge blessing for me, one that does not go unacknowledged or unappreciated. Even when I was receiving treatment abroad, I was working from home, and I am so thankful that I get to work at such an accommodating, caring workplace.” She also took note that people and corporations are much more aware and educated on women’s rights issues nowadays and a lot more competition exists in the field now because organizations prioritize hiring women to ensure a gender balanced workplace and to support women’s empowerment And yet till this day, Aru continues to come across young girls who see IT as a complicated line of work. During her time as a lecturer and a mentor, she has advocated to young girls and encouraged them to work in this field because she believes it is an area of work where people can have a lot of flexibility despite their health or socioeconomic status. “In 2018 I was introduced to the NGO ‘Women in Tech Maldives’ where I met like-minded professionals. We got to share our experiences and challenges. I acknowledge ‘Women in Tech Maldives’ as they played a huge role in advancing opportunities for women in the ICT field. Networking events were unheard of before, but with credit to them; there are more opportunities for women in this field to meet, mingle and receive mentorship from technically-sound professionals.” In recent years, Aru became the Chief Operating Officer of a startup tech company working alongside experienced professionals in the industry. Aru shared that the team’s proudest achievement thus far was building an artificial intelligence application together as a team. By digitally profiling people, the application can provide guidance, recommendations, and coaching to its users based on their strengths, weaknesses, and unique attributes. “It is a highly adaptable tool and a technology that has not existed in the Maldives before. I am also someone who did not know my own strengths and weaknesses and didn’t get any guidance on which area of work to pursue so with the power of technology these things can also be simplified in today’s world.” Aru shared proudly. When asked about her thoughts on adapting and harnessing digital technologies to Health which is a global priority for WHO, she shared that the possibilities for digitalizing the health sector of Maldives were endless especially with today’s advancements and opportunities. “There are so many possibilities; reports and prescriptions no longer need be paper-based. Digital technologies can be utilized for e-health, telemedicine, and to keep databases (such as health and vaccine records). The digital utilization during COVID-19 is a good example. However, as I see it, there are many more tools available and we also have a skilled workforce who are fluent in IT. The demand and usability will also be high as health services aren’t limited to one patient demographic or nationality, but also can be used by health workers and other multisectoral partners too.” In her career, Aru has mentored young girls she met during ICT events and has also taught basic computer courses to non-tech savvy older adults from different cities and islands of Maldives. Additionally, when she spent time teaching students as a lecturer, she guided them to choose this career path when many of them were still unsure what field they wanted to pursue. “When I see them advancing in their careers now, I feel like it’s my own personal achievement too.” On the occasion of Women’s Day, Aru wants to remind all young women and girls in ICT, STEM, and other fields of work to remain keen, curious and self-educated. “In life, women do have to face a lot more challenges than the opposite sex. This is not just in work, but also in our biology. So, despite the curveballs, always keep your head above the water no matter what field you decide to pursue. Don’t let the momentum slip and always be one step ahead of yourself. Despite having cancer, I never abandoned my passion for IT, and I never stopped believing in myself. My advice is, don’t give up on yourself even if the situation changes for you. Every workplace has challenges but take them as learning opportunities.”
Aru believes that in the digital era we currently live in, a lot of things come at ease. “I believe comfort zones are our enemy so always stay outside of it. As young people, we should strive to be an expert in the niche that we have started to work in, so that no one can reject us. At the end of the day, they need our talent and expertise more than they need a woman or man to do the job.”
Today, Aru holds a master’s degree. But even in her earlier work settings, since she didn’t always get a chance to do certain work, which she believes hindered her from growing professionally. “What one studies or observes in a classroom versus real life experiences are completely different.”. In fact, from the beginning of her career till 2022, Aru had been the only female in the ICT departments of workplaces she had worked in. It was only from years 2022 to 2023 when she was able to work with more females in a team. “Unfortunately, still, some people’s mindsets are that women cannot work in IT related fields due to their perceived notion of gender roles (such as being a wife, a mother etc.). IT work can also lead both men and women to follow careers which allow remote-working; especially in bigger companies.” said Aru. “Challenges can happen to anyone whether they are female or male. But when it comes to women and the challenges we face; we are often misconstrued, scrutinized, and seen as a burden. On the plus side, Maldives is much more digitally advanced now compared to the early 2000s. And in comparison, to about four, five years earlier; there are a lot more opportunities for women in IT now.” Ever since she first joined the IT field, she has always been a single parent who has gotten by with a lot of support from her family, colleagues and loved ones. “My sister has been an inspiration for me because she is a very independent woman. No one knows how life can turn out for any of us but becoming independent and being mentally prepared to face any challenge is important and my family, friends and colleagues have supported me to view life from this perspective.”
Aru’s world turned upside down when she was recently diagnosed with Cancer. “I got a lot of support from my workplace, Bank of Maldives. And despite this huge setback, I requested the management to allow me to work, and they complied. Battling with cancer, a lot of my time and energy went into treatment. To fight cancer, I had to stop everything else because my only priority was to stay alive. Still the management at Bank of Maldives gave me a lot of flexibility to work remotely and in my own time. This was a huge blessing for me, one that does not go unacknowledged or unappreciated. Even when I was receiving treatment abroad, I was working from home, and I am so thankful that I get to work at such an accommodating, caring workplace.” She also took note that people and corporations are much more aware and educated on women’s rights issues nowadays and a lot more competition exists in the field now because organizations prioritize hiring women to ensure a gender balanced workplace and to support women’s empowerment And yet till this day, Aru continues to come across young girls who see IT as a complicated line of work. During her time as a lecturer and a mentor, she has advocated to young girls and encouraged them to work in this field because she believes it is an area of work where people can have a lot of flexibility despite their health or socioeconomic status. “In 2018 I was introduced to the NGO ‘Women in Tech Maldives’ where I met like-minded professionals. We got to share our experiences and challenges. I acknowledge ‘Women in Tech Maldives’ as they played a huge role in advancing opportunities for women in the ICT field. Networking events were unheard of before, but with credit to them; there are more opportunities for women in this field to meet, mingle and receive mentorship from technically-sound professionals.” In recent years, Aru became the Chief Operating Officer of a startup tech company working alongside experienced professionals in the industry. Aru shared that the team’s proudest achievement thus far was building an artificial intelligence application together as a team. By digitally profiling people, the application can provide guidance, recommendations, and coaching to its users based on their strengths, weaknesses, and unique attributes. “It is a highly adaptable tool and a technology that has not existed in the Maldives before. I am also someone who did not know my own strengths and weaknesses and didn’t get any guidance on which area of work to pursue so with the power of technology these things can also be simplified in today’s world.” Aru shared proudly. When asked about her thoughts on adapting and harnessing digital technologies to Health which is a global priority for WHO, she shared that the possibilities for digitalizing the health sector of Maldives were endless especially with today’s advancements and opportunities. “There are so many possibilities; reports and prescriptions no longer need be paper-based. Digital technologies can be utilized for e-health, telemedicine, and to keep databases (such as health and vaccine records). The digital utilization during COVID-19 is a good example. However, as I see it, there are many more tools available and we also have a skilled workforce who are fluent in IT. The demand and usability will also be high as health services aren’t limited to one patient demographic or nationality, but also can be used by health workers and other multisectoral partners too.” In her career, Aru has mentored young girls she met during ICT events and has also taught basic computer courses to non-tech savvy older adults from different cities and islands of Maldives. Additionally, when she spent time teaching students as a lecturer, she guided them to choose this career path when many of them were still unsure what field they wanted to pursue. “When I see them advancing in their careers now, I feel like it’s my own personal achievement too.” On the occasion of Women’s Day, Aru wants to remind all young women and girls in ICT, STEM, and other fields of work to remain keen, curious and self-educated. “In life, women do have to face a lot more challenges than the opposite sex. This is not just in work, but also in our biology. So, despite the curveballs, always keep your head above the water no matter what field you decide to pursue. Don’t let the momentum slip and always be one step ahead of yourself. Despite having cancer, I never abandoned my passion for IT, and I never stopped believing in myself. My advice is, don’t give up on yourself even if the situation changes for you. Every workplace has challenges but take them as learning opportunities.”
Aru believes that in the digital era we currently live in, a lot of things come at ease. “I believe comfort zones are our enemy so always stay outside of it. As young people, we should strive to be an expert in the niche that we have started to work in, so that no one can reject us. At the end of the day, they need our talent and expertise more than they need a woman or man to do the job.”
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Press Release
25 May 2023
High-level Session on Official Statistics - How can we collaborate to provide more relevant data and statistics for informed decision making?
The event, held at Meerumaa Events in Moonimaa Maalam, featured esteemed speakers and experts in the field of official statistics, including Government Ministers many of whom are members of the Ministerial Committee on Official Statistics. Also participating were the Governor of the MMA, the Commissioner General of Taxation, the United Nations, the Maldives Bureau of Statistics (MBS) and other agencies of the National Statistical System. Members of the Statistical Council also engaged during the event.
The session commenced with an opening address by Honorable Mohamed Aslam, Minister of National Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure, who emphasized the importance of data-driven decision making in shaping effective policies and strategies.
Ms. Catherine Haswell, the UN Resident Coordinator, delivered her remarks highlighting the significance of official statistics and their role in promoting sustainable development and evidence-based decision making to keep on track with achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Maldives.
Ms. Vibeke Oestreich Nielsen, Inter-Regional Adviser on Statistical Training and Capacity Building at the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), presented on the topic of responding to user needs and achieving high-quality and up-to-date data sources. Her insights shed light on the strategies and mechanisms necessary for meeting user requirements effectively, with collaboration being of high importance in the context.
The session also featured a presentation by Ms. Aishath Hassan, Chief Statistician, who provided an overview of the statistical system in Maldives. She discussed the current utilization of administrative data and highlighted the key challenges faced by the government in collaborating and sharing data to produce accurate and timely statistics.
Ms. Vibeke Oestreich Nielsen further elaborated on the use of administrative data for official statistics, with a specific focus on employment and migration statistics. Her presentation explored the potential of administrative data sources in enriching the understanding of these critical aspects and more generally.
An interactive discussion took place, facilitated by Ms. Vibeke Oestreich Nielsen, focusing on employment and migration data across the Maldives Statistical System (MSS). Participants shared existing challenges in Maldives with reference to making data readily available and usable for all and creating an open and trusting environment for agencies to share their data.
UN Maldives with the support from the Government of Maldives is committed to supporting initiatives that promote collaboration and the use of data for informed decision making. Events like the High-Level Session on Official Statistics contribute to the advancement of data-driven governance and policy formulation. Statistics form an essential part of the Government of Maldives’ reporting its Voluntary National Review (VNR) on progress on SDGs to the UN High Level Political Forum (HLPF) in July 2023.
For media inquiries or further information, please contact:
Ms. Aminath Mushfiqa Ibrahim
Director, HR
Maldives Bureau of Statistics
Email: mushfiqa.ibrahim@stats.gov.mv
Ms. Shaha Shakeeb
Associate Development Coordination Officer, Data Management and Results Monitoring / Reporting
UN Maldives Resident Coordinators Office
Email: shaha.shakeeb@un.org
Ms. Vibeke Oestreich Nielsen
Interregional Advisor on Statistical Training and Capacity Building Development Data and Outreach Branch
United Nations Statistics Division
Email: vibeke.nielsen@un.org
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Press Release
14 May 2023
National consultation to strengthen social protection in the Maldives
Governments in Asia and the Pacific have increasingly recognized social protection as a key policy instrument to build a more productive, protected and healthy population in Asia and the Pacific. In 2020, ESCAP member States endorsed the regional Action Plan to Strengthen Regional Cooperation on Social Protection, which serves as a shared vision, strategy and platform for promoting partnership and peer learning as well as identifying needs for capacity development. The Action Plan sets out 12 national actions that underpin the achievement of more inclusive and comprehensive social protection systems, ranging from upholding the right to social protection in legislative and regulatory frameworks, to ensuring a more effective design, coordination and delivery of social protection schemes.
To support member States in the implementation of this first ever regional Action Plan, ESCAP has been undertaking stocktaking initiatives on the readiness to implement the Action Plan and achieve more inclusive and comprehensive social protection systems in Cambodia, Georgia, Maldives, Mongolia, the Philippines and Turkey.
The Maldives has demonstrated strong commitment to social protection and achieved universal old age pensions through both contributory and non-contributory schemes, as well as a universal disability allowance and universal health insurance.
The stocktaking consists of a brief report that showcases the Maldives’ policies for promoting social protection and its overall readiness to implement the national actions of the Action Plan. A second part of the stocktaking exercise involves a national consultation with selected participants from the Ministries to discuss and validate the findings of the draft report, notably its recommendations for achieving the objectives of the Action Plan. The consultation also served as a forum to reflect how a more holistic and strategic social protection system could be an economic investment in future labour markets, the economy and prosperity of the country.
Launching the National Consultation, the Vice President of Maldives Faisal Naseem highlighted ongoing progress made on social protection, such as the launch of the registry portal for persons with disabilities by the National Social Protection Agency (NSPA), the implementation of non-contributory schemes for persons in vulnerable situations, as well as pension plan, stressing the need to work collectively with all stakeholders and communities to better the lives of the people of the Maldives.
Aishath Mohammed Didi, Minister of Gender, Family and Social Services, elaborated on the recently developed National Framework on Social Protection and called on the need for decentralized responses as well as importance to strengthen a more unified and holistic social protection system and welcomed the consultation and Action Plan as a way forward in this.
Reflecting on the different pathways to more inclusive and comprehensive social protection systems across countries in the region, Srinivas Tata, Director, Social Development Division, ESCAP outlined the key elements within the Action Plan that underpin strong social protection systems. Emphasizing the need for a lifecycle approach, Catherine Haswell, UN Resident Coordinator for Maldives, indicated it was an opportune moment to gather and review the various components of Maldives’ social protection system, to leverage what has worked and make adjustments to transform the system into one which meets the future needs of the Maldives.
As the country moves forward to implement the National Framework on Social Protection, the Consultation was a rare opportunity to engage stakeholders from across different line Ministries and stakeholders in the Maldives to chart actions towards a future where all Maldivians are protected.
For more information: Shaha Shakeeb, Associate Development Coordination Officer, UN Maldives RCO (shaha.shakeeb@un.org) Kavita Sukanandan, Public Information Officer, Communications and Knowledge Management Section, ESCAP (escap-scas@un.org)
For more information: Shaha Shakeeb, Associate Development Coordination Officer, UN Maldives RCO (shaha.shakeeb@un.org) Kavita Sukanandan, Public Information Officer, Communications and Knowledge Management Section, ESCAP (escap-scas@un.org)
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Press Release
10 December 2022
The Human Rights Heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
From the time of its inception, the United Nations has recognized Human Rights as being fundamental to its mission. The UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10 December 1948. It was drafted as a ‘a common standard of achievement for all people and nations’, spelling out for the first time in human history basic civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all human beings should enjoy. It has become widely accepted as the fundamental human rights that everyone should respect and protect.
Every year on the 10th of December, the international community marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by celebrating International Human Rights Day. As we approach the 75th year of the adoption of the UDHR in 2023, a year-long campaign will showcase, celebrate, and focus on its legacy, and continued relevance, with the theme “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All” and the call to action “Stand Up for Human Rights.”
Drafted by representatives with different legal, cultural, and religious backgrounds from all regions of the world, the UDHR is a set of universal, indivisible and inalienable rights, recognizing the equal dignity and worth of every person. It was the first time that the international community agreed on a set of common values and acknowledged that rights are inherent to every single human being, and not granted by the state. It continues to inspire movements for change for a more equal and inclusive world that benefits everyone.
Human rights are guaranteed by treaties, customary international law, and other sources of law; for all of which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights serves as both foundation and inspiration. All of this has then been voluntarily signed, ratified, and acceded to by UN Member States in their determination to respect and protect the rights of those within their respective jurisdictions.
The Republic of Maldives is a State party to seven core human rights treaties encompassing broadly; civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights as well as more specifically on addressing torture, racial discrimination, discrimination against women, and upholding rights of the child and persons with disabilities.
With regards to those legal commitments, many of the human rights treaties’ provisions are reflected in the Maldives legal framework. Most significantly, Chapter Two of the Maldives Constitution enshrines over 50 fundamental rights and freedoms, premised on the principles of non-discrimination and equality, ranging from the right to life and protection of the environment, to economic and social rights, freedom of expression, association and assembly, and the right to work and acquire property as well as prompt investigation and prosecution, and humane treatment of arrested or detained persons.
In an address to the People’s Majlis in early 2022, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih spoke on the many strides the Maldives has made to promote and protect human rights in the country, while highlighting the ongoing challenges, particularly in the aftermath of the global Covid-19 pandemic. We applaud all efforts to improve human rights for all in the Maldives, while recognising that there is still much work to be done.
One important step taken by the Maldives was the standing invitation issued to the UN Human Rights Council independent human rights experts - individuals and working groups known as Special Procedures.
This year, the Maldives Government received two Special Procedures mandate holders. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism came last May and the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls visited the Maldives last September.
These two experts recognized the same two fundamental issues as among the biggest hurdles to achieving full human rights for all in the Maldives.
As already expressed by the President in his February speech at the Majlis earlier this year, the first issue is about extremism, which has taken root within Maldivian society. In this context, the exploitation of religion lays “bare the magnitude and complexity of the work required to combat violent extremism.” Recommendations by the visiting human rights experts may provide part of the normative framework necessary to amplify ongoing efforts to uproot extremism in society.
“In order to address the challenges of violent extremism and terrorism in a human rights compliant manner, prison conditions must be improved, judicial independence must be assured, lawyers must be able to function effectively to defend persons charged of such offences, and the police must be accountable for any violations committed during investigations.” (Special Rapporteur, Ms. Fionnuala Ní Aoláin)
The second issue highlighted by both the Special Rapporteur and the Working Group is about the importance of the civic space for society. It is essential to ensure that non-governmental actors, such as civil society organizations and the media, can enjoy conditions in which they can uphold good governance and accountability of the authorities. The Government has a duty to create conditions that actively support the ability and capacity of persons, individuals or in association with others, to engage in civic activities. In looking at measures to improve civic space therefore, it requires cooperation between the State and civil society actors.
Besides the two hurdles, the experts from the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls noted and welcomed “new laws and recent institutional measures focusing on gender equality”. At the same time, certain long-standing provisions are still discriminatory and punitive, denying women and girls full human rights and freedoms. In this regard, Gender-Based Violence is prevalent and even tolerated. “Survivors face many barriers in access to justice and remedies, and perpetrators enjoy impunity.” (Press Release – UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls)
Earlier this year, the UN in the Maldives began implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), the blueprint for all UN efforts in the Maldives through 2026. Central to the Cooperation Framework is the investment in people, based on principles of human rights, and gender equality, women’s empowerment, sustainable development and resilience. It is a joint commitment of the UN and the Government to support national development priorities and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while leaving no one behind.
Bearing the above in mind, the European Union’s priorities for cooperation with the Maldives until 2027 focuses on the promotion of human rights, good governance, gender equality, inclusivity, and resilience as core themes.
This EU support will be at the heart of the EU-Maldives’ partnership, which will rely, inter alia, on the Maldives Government’s determination to promote and protect human rights, including through its seat at the Human Rights Council for the term 2023 - 2025.
As we enter the 75th year of the adoption of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights, the UN and EU look forward to assisting and supporting the Government in implementing effectively and meaningfully the recommendations from the various human rights mechanisms that Maldives is engaged with, whether the Human Rights Council, Special Procedures or Treaty Bodies, with the ultimate goal of ensuring dignity, freedom, and justice for all.
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Press Release
08 September 2022
Maldives: First visit by UN experts on discrimination against women and girls
“The Working Group is particularly interested in legislative reforms and policies that have been implemented in the Maldives to promote the rights of women and girls, eliminate structural discrimination and achieve substantive gender equality,” the experts said.
The experts will examine multiple aspects of women’s and girls’ lives: political and public, economic and social, family and cultural life, health and safety, including gender-based violence against women and girls as a manifestation of discrimination and barriers to access to justice as crosscutting issues, employing a life cycle approach.
“We are interested in learning about achievements and promising practices, as well as the local historical and cultural context and existing gaps and challenges in the spirit of engaging in a constructive dialogue”, the experts said.
The experts, who are invited by the Government, will meet concerned stakeholders in Malé, Kulhudhuffushi in Haa Dhaalu Atoll, Maafushi in Kaafu Atoll, Maduvaree in Raa Atoll, Guraidhoo and Gulheefalhu in Kaafu Atoll.
They will pay particular attention to women and girls who encounter multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, including among others those living in remote areas, women with disabilities, older women, migrant women, women in detention, and adolescent girls, as well as the gendered risks of climate change.
They will meet with national and local authorities, women and girls, civil society organisations, academics, journalists, political leaders, UN entities and other international stakeholders. The visiting delegation will include Melissa Upreti and Meskerem Geset Techane, respectively Chairperson and Member of the Working Group.
The experts will present their preliminary observations at a press conference on Thursday, 22 September 2022, at 2:00 pm (local time) at the Hotel Maagiri in Malé. Access to the press conference will be strictly limited to accredited journalists.
The Working Group will submit its full report to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2023.
ENDS
The UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls was created by the Human Rights Council in 2011 to identify, promote and exchange views, in consultation with States and other actors, on good practices related to the elimination of laws that discriminate against women. The Group is also tasked with developing a dialogue with States and other actors on laws that have a discriminatory impact where women are concerned.
The Working Group is composed of five independent experts: Ms Melissa Upreti (Nepal), Chairperson; Ms Dorothy Estrada Tanck (Mexico),Vice Chairperson; Ms Elizabeth Broderick (Australia); Ms Ivana Radačić (Croatia); and Ms Meskerem Geset Techane (Ethiopia).
The Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.
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Press Release
23 August 2022
Unintended and Unwanted? 2 Babies Taken to State Care Every Month
UNFPA’s 2022 State of the World Population Report highlights that half of global pregnancies are unintended. In the Maldives, 24 babies were taken into state care in 2021 alone - which accounts to 2 babies per month - a crisis unfolding before our eyes. This year’s report titled "Seeing the Unseen: The case for action in the neglected crisis of unintended pregnancy", focuses on the global crisis that so many women and girls face on a daily basis. The report was launched on 7th of June 2022 in the Maldives by the First Lady Madam Fazna Ahmed. Coinciding with the call for action, the Villa College Institute of Research and Innovation (IRI), in collaboration with UNFPA conducted a high level panel discussion, highlighting the Maldivian context and leveraging policy makers to take much needed action.
All Panelists stress that the Maldives situation is a crisis which needs urgent action. Dr. Ibrahim Zakjariyya Moosa, Vice Chancellor of the Islamic University of Maldives, emphasised how the Islamic Shariah forbids subjugation of women and obedience towards husbands without consent. Moreover the Islamic jurisprudence also provides an avenue for planned families in the society’s progress, a concept which is often debated and hinders women’s access to safe contraceptives.
For the women affected, the most life-altering reproductive choice, whether or not to become pregnant – is no choice at all. Ms. Safiyya Moahmed Saeed, Deputy Minister for health highlights this and the fact that girls in the Maldives are often asked and pressured into marriage, when they are going to have a baby and how many - burdens the girl into adulthood and beyond.
Humaida Abdul Gafoor also echoes this sentiment in which she shares her independent qualitative research into women’s plight and lack of access to reproductive services - duty bearer’s inaction and neglect has led to lack of information and services, especially for young people's autonomy to every part of the journey to pregnancy and parenthood. As such, we cannot blame or shame young people for adult’s inaction. The autonomy for women and girls is hindered when they are unable to access safe and proper contraceptive methods.
Mohamed Shihab, Minister of State for Gender, Family and Social Services, nicely weaves the story of Haseena - a rights holder and an average woman living in our society. She bears a child at age 14 years, and gets rejected by her own family, neighbours and community - having to live on streets. She has no choice but to resort to sex work to feed herself and her child. Eventually her child also faces the same fate having to be married-off out of court at age 15, to a substance user. All of this leads to further rejection and marginalization from within the society. Such cases are common in the Maldives. They are all stuck in a life of violence and a never ending cycle of generational abuse within her family and community. How can we as duty bearers and service providers adequately offer her a dignified life ? Urgent action is needed now to alleviate such barriers and change the harmful norms in our society - to empower women like Haseena to take charge of her own life.
“We want the society to view women as a whole - not just their pregnant bellies and babies” - stresses Shadiya Ibrahim, Head of Office of UNFPA Maldives. Our hope is that with these discussions we can bring a ripple effect where policy makers are better aware of the lived realities of women and girls in our society, to mitigate unintended pregnancies and provide necessary services for all. Let us all view women and girls as whole human beings - with their right to a dignified life free from violence!
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