Remarks by Chief Guest at the Launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Learning Tool for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)

UN Resident Coordinator, H.E Catherine Haswell, ladies and gentlemen, Good Afternoon.

Thank you to the UN Resident Coordinator for the kind invitation to speak at the launching of the Sustainable Development Goals tool for Civil Society Organizations. Since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, the indicators have been an important guiding mechanism for policies and legislation which ensure just and equitable governance.

In my role, I often have to speak about the SDGs – mine are usually SDG 13, 14 and 15, climate action, life below water and life on land, but as the learning tool shows us, you can't have one SDG without the other. The challenge and the beauty of it is the interconnection. What makes something sustainable is how it relates to and ensures the health of all aspects of society in the quest for development. I like to see the relationship between civil society and government in the same way. An ever – evolving, interconnected one, where given space and support, we play different roles, but mostly strive towards the same goals – to help communities live happy, fulfilled lives.

This active participation of civil society in advocacy, policy formulation, social and behavioral change is an intergenerational thread that has played out for centuries. Whether its environmental conservation, advocating for gender equality, public health, fundraising for equitable access, or promotion of arts and culture, the role of civil society in initiating and most importantly maintaining sustainable development is critical.

Another perk of this role is that I get to engage with Maldivian civil society organisations a lot more than some of my other colleagues. Admittedly, those with a climate or conservation focus! I know the challenges CSOs operate under and the amount of work that goes into making their work a success. Mobilising resources, formulating projects, submitting applications for funding, collecting data for monitoring and evaluation, raising awareness, and keeping their communication channels up to date, often with a handful of people, who also have other jobs, requires an immense amount of personal commitment and passion. I just want to note here that your challenges do not go unnoticed and that the Maldives’ achievements would not be what it is without the contribution of our civil society partners.

The Maldives ranks 68 out of 166 in the SDG rankings. It has an SDG index score of 71.3 and a spillover score – our impact on other countries’ SDGs is 97.6. I was happy to learn that a high spillover score means our impact on others is positive. Despite the difficulties that our unique geography of small islands dispersed over a vast ocean presents, equitable development is a right which this Government priorities and has implemented through its Strategic Action Plan. This Strategic Action Plan was mapped out against the SDGs and found to be 88% aligned with the SDG’s coverage of targets. The prioritisation of decentralisation, connectivity and economic diversification in the SAP was a direct response to the developmental challenges we face.

Ensuring every island has clean water and a sanitation system – I believe that’s SDG 6 – has been a major Government initiative. Aside from ensuring a basic right to clean water and sanitation, islands with improved systems see an increase in the value of their land, diversify local tourism options and ease livelihoods. The decentralisation of institutions, power and services has improved access to health care, education and economic opportunities. Requiring local councils to set aside 33% of their seats for women councilors has increased the number of women in decision making positions. The expansion of the RTL ferry system improves transport links within the country facilitating more access to services and opportunities for people to connect economically and socially. Digitising services, increasing access to telemedicine and tele-education, in addition to the Free First-Degree program and higher education loan schemes have served to radically increase the number of individuals who can now afford to continue their education or learn new skills. The benefits of these programs' spillover from one target to another.

The more we can track implementation through data and statistics, the more it helps us to hone policies and target our investments. Through the support of the UN the Government is focusing on setting up a holistic data system for the SDGs, which will also help fill in the gaps on gender disaggregated data. Furthermore, initiatives such as the Integrated National Financing Framework which was launched earlier this year will help to identify the gaps within our national budget for SDG financing. I’d like to thank the UN for their consistent and considerable support in helping the Maldives become the development success story it is. I would also like to acknowledge the valuable space the UN creates to bring Government, Private Sector and Civil Society partners together, and the unwavering support it shows to the young people of the Maldives in their advocacy and activism.

Recent assessments show the world is way off track in meeting the SDG targets. This is even more evident in relation to the climate crisis and the now too frequent extreme weather events and increase in conflict and conflict related migration. A radical realignment is needed globally which reiterates the aims of the SDGs, - to promote prosperity while protecting the planet, and significantly increases investments in resources to make implementation of the goals easier. For the Maldives this will directly impact our ability to adapt to the climate crisis and strengthen the resilience of our islands. I trust the upcoming SDG Summit and COP28 will serve as spaces to bring about this additional focus.

Before I conclude, I just wanted to highlight the SDG tool for CSOs that is being launched today. It’s accessible, easy to use, and based on our local context, so thank you to FJS for developing such a useful resource. This tool will equip Civil Society Organisations with more capacity and knowledge on monitoring and reporting on SDGs and Government policies and can strengthen your advocacy.

I have learned a lot from our CSOs over the last few years. From the need to phase out single use plastics, to turtle conservation, coral restoration, how to increase women in STEM, to why it's important for the Maldives to engage in earth observation and space. One of the greatest strengths of our civil society is its capacity to work with and learn from one another. So, I encourage all civil society organisations present here today to share this tool with your colleagues and friends that are interested in making an impact in the world and progressing the sustainable development goals in the Maldives.

May the Maldives spillover score continue to be positive!

Thank you.