Signing Ceremony of UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2022-2026

Excellency President of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Abdulla Shahid,

UNSDCF co-signatory from the Government of Maldives, State Minister of Foreign Affairs H. E. Ahmed Khaleel,

UNSDCF co-chair from the Government of Maldives, Secretary Multilateral Dr. Hala Hameed,

Distinguished Government officials

United Nations Team

Ladies and Gentlemen

Asalaam Alaikum, Good morning and a very warm welcome to the signing ceremony for the new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. 

I would like, first, to congratulate His Excellency Mr. Abdulla Shahid on his election as the President of the 76th session of the General Assembly, and presiding over the General Assembly deliberations at a critical time for all countries in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The UN team are honoured by your joining us for this momentous occasion today, particularly in person in Male.

With a forward-looking agenda under the theme “Presidency of Hope”, His Excellency has reiterated his commitment to: recover from COVID19, take action to address climate change, achieve gender equality, invest in multilateralism. I believe that his “Presidency of Hope” would bring hope to this flagship document we are about to sign today. Gender equality and Sustainable and climate-resilient environment are among the two key Strategic Priorities of the UN Cooperation Framework, and his five rays of hope cut across our entire support to the Maldives for accelerating achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.  

This UN Cooperation Framework will be the foundation for the collaboration of the UN development system and its implementing partners for the next five years, from 2022 to 2026.

Building on the premise by the Member States of the UN that the Cooperation Framework is the most important instrument for the planning and implementation of UN development activities in each country. Based on extensive consultations with a wide range of stakeholders across the country, the UN  Maldives team has been engaged in these efforts in an inclusive, strategic and thorough manner throughout 2021, recognizing that the broad and diverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Maldivians from the furtherst North to South of the archipelago.

With the focus continuously on our collective aim to support national efforts to achieve the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, and backed by in-depth Common Country Analysis to identify challenges faced and opportunities ahead, the Cooperation Framework articulates the UN’s response to national development priorities, and will drive the major UN contributions at the country level for the next five years.  

We convened the most extensive consultations to date for such a  framework, engaging with Government, Youth, Local Councils and Women’s Development Committees, Organizations for Persons with Disabilities and representatives of migrants and organizations working on migrant issues, civil society, Private Sector, and UN Member States accredited to the Maldives. With numerous opportunities and entry points, especially for our Government counterparts to provide detailed feedback and comments, the document was completed and endorsed by the High-Level Joint Steering Committee mid year.  

I express my deep appreciation to Dr Hala and her team for their continued collaboration throughout this journey. I also include in this vote of thanks the entire UN staff, especially the Heads of Agencies and the Outcome Leads, who have led their agencies in guiding the UN Maldives engagement for the next 5 years.

The Framework being signed today, emphasizes the collective priorities and responses of the signatories to assist the Maldives to address national priorities and gaps in the road to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), amid recovery efforts from the severe health and socioeconomic impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The three Strategic Priorities as outlined in the Framework are:  1) Shared prosperity and inclusive human development for all; 2) Sustainable and climate-resilient environment; 3) Gender-responsive, rights-based, and accountable governance and justice.

Under these Strategic Priorities, four Outcome results for which the UN in Maldives will focus its support namely; 1) Livelihoods and productivity, 2) Human development & wellbeing, 3) Natural resource management, climate resilience & environmental sustainability, 4) Transformative governance, justice, and human rights.

The collective results expected from the Cooperation Framework will contribute to a vision where the Maldives is an inclusive, resilient, healthy, caring, tolerant, transparent, and skilled society where all people meaningfully participate in, contribute to and benefit equitably from sustainable cultural, economic and social development and environmental protection, leading to achievement of the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs. At the centre of the Cooperation Framework, is a focus on investing in people. The Cooperation Framework upholds the principles of human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, sustainable development and resilience, and accountability, ensuring that “no one is left behind”, which will guide all UN programming in the Maldives.

Excellencies

You can be assured of my unwavering efforts to lead a dynamic, innovative and positive  UN team on the ground, committed to generating more strategic and collaborative approaches with a focus on experimentation, and grounded in engagement with innovators, community groups, academia, and Government policy makers. The Cooperation Framework as defined today provides us wide scope for how we tackle our collective challenge ahead as we countdown the Decade of Action.

I take this opportunity to once again thank everyone who actively participated in all the steps of the CF formulation process. I have been both heartened and inspired by the level of dialogue and the commitment of Maldivians across the spectrum to buy in to our vision. This model represents just the start of the way we need to proceed for the remaining 9 years of the 2030 Agenda. Time is not on our side, and COVID has forced us to rethink how we can get there, which will require innovations in the way that we think about the recovery of the national and global economy, which must absolutely be green, inclusive, and rights-based.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated impacts has derailed years of socio-economic progress of the country. The pandemic saw Maldives fall to among the lowest economies within the region. With evidence-based health and social measures to curb the pandemic coupled with ramped up COVID-19 vaccination programmes, we are positive and hopeful that the Maldives  recovery is well on track.

As the UN Secretary General said, “no one is safe, until everyone is safe”. The COVID-19 crisis has provided Maldives with an opportunity to improve conditions for all and build back better towards a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable society.

We hope that the Cooperation Framework signed today will pave positive pathways to accelerate sustainable, inclusive and equitable human, social, economic, and environmental development for the country that does not leave any one behind.

Thank you