The Common Country Analysis (CCA) Maldives - June 2023

The Common Country Analysis (CCA) is designed to reflect the United Nations integrated, forward-looking and evidence-based joint analysis of the context for sustainable development in the Maldives, in view of achieving the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and as a basis for the UN programmatic support through the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). The analysis is premised on the overall commitment to Leaving No One Behind (LNOB), the UN Charter and international norms and standards.

This report represents the first building block of the analysis, which will involve a continuous process of revision and adaptation as the context evolves and new evidence is made available. Four main data collection methodologies were utilized in the preparation of this document:

1. Analytical inputs from UN entities, resident and non- resident, with reference to their specific areas of expertise and mandate. These were collected through two main tools: mandate-specific data collection on topics of relevance to the agencies and a questionnaire on cross-cutting issues to capture entities’ perspectives on areas considered to be outside their core mandate, identifying synergies and trade-offs.

2. Semi-structured interviews with key informants. Interviewees included resident and non-resident UN entities, including those outside of the current United Nations Country Team (UNCT), International Financial Institutions (IFIs), government officials and other stakeholders.

3. A risk matrix through which UNCT member entities were surveyed to provide a quantitative assessment of the major risks and their potential impact on the future sustainable development of the country.

4. Desk review of existing country and sectoral studies and retrieval of statistical data from national and international sources, including government plans and reports.

Data and information have been disaggregated to the extent possible. The CCA highlights the data gaps, noting the need to strengthen capacity to collect data and continuously fill the gaps through future assessment. Targeted analysis has been undertaken by each of the UN agencies in line with their mandate. The greatest limitation to the CCA has been gaps in data to support comprehensive thematic analyses, or to map national realities against SDG targets. Secondly, there is a severe limitation in the availability of data disaggregated geographically, by gender, age, and other relevant characteristics in the Maldives.

Some of the guiding principles used in this document include the concept of Leaving No One Behind (LNOB) and the Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA). Other principles that are reflected throughout the document are a focus on gender analysis and women’s empowerment, as well as the pursuit of (environmental) sustainability, associated with building up resilience.

The report is meant to be a concise, yet comprehensive, overview of the country’s challenges and opportunities to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Particular focus was placed on identifying intersectoral and transformative opportunities that could be seized for future joint planning and to unlock the country’s potential to achieve the SDGs. With less than a decade remaining until 2030, the time for action is now and all sectors in society need to be engaged.

The preliminary findings of the CCA published in March 2020 were validated by UN and national stakeholders at a workshop. Extensive comments on the draft CCA were also made by the regional Peer Support Group. With the COVID-19 pandemic and given how it has significantly impacted the Maldives, UNCT decided that the CCA would need to be significantly rewritten before UNSDCF process starts. This work was done internally, under the Resident Coordinator Office (RCO)’s facilitation, with inputs from all resident and non-resident UN agencies in the Maldives. The process took place in the last quarter of 2020 and the final version was endorsed by UNCT in January 2021. It is this version of the CCA that formed the basis of our analysis for the development of the UNSDCF. UN agencies, funds and programmes based in the Maldives and beyond contributed to this review. The CCA is a living document, updated regularly as required3, to assure that the UNSDCF the UN’s analysis of key issues remains current. The present report is being updated with new data / analysis we have gathered during the year and ensure that our analysis is still up to date.