Remarks by Mariyam Midhfa Naeem, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the UNSDCF 2027-2031 Diplomatic Community Meeting

UN Resident Coordinator, Excellencies, and Colleagues,

Good morning to you all.

I would like to offer my thanks to the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, the Country Team, and all partner agencies for the care and dedication you have put into this Cooperation Framework.

As we present the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the 2027-2031 period, we mark a historic milestone in the Maldives’ development. This document serves to reflect our national priorities and aspirations, as well as our longstanding partnership with the international community.

The completion of this Framework is the result of an extensive, yet inclusive process. One that is anchored by evidence, grounded in our national development plans, and shaped by meaningful consultations across Government, the private sector, and civil society.

This UNSDCF arrives at a pivotal moment.

Reforms across the UN system are already underway, shaped by evolving mandates, limited resources and a stronger push for coherence and streamlined delivery. These realities require us to move beyond fragmented approaches, making the UNSDCF a tool to translate them into action through a responsive and forward-looking framework.

The Maldives continues to face multidimensional challenges from climate change and rising sea levels to the structural economic vulnerabilities of small island states, compounded by disproportionate burdens of debt, pushing progress towards sustainable development further from reach. What is needed is a framework that reflects these lived realities and defines development on our own terms, bringing debt, climate risks and structural vulnerabilities to the forefront while ensuring continuity beyond shifting global agendas, anchored in our long-term national priorities under ABAS.

For us to face these challenges, sustained, coordinated and targeted international support is crucial.

The UNSDCF is an opportunity for our international partners to help us build on the priorities that matter most to the Maldivian people; climate resilience and environmental sustainability, inclusive and diversified economic growth, strengthened governance and rule of law, and improved social services including health and education, ultimately ensuring that no one is left behind.

Excellencies, through this Framework, we invite you to deepen your engagement with the Maldives, to align your development cooperation programmes with the priorities outlined in this document, and to join us in translating these commitments into tangible outcomes for the Maldivian people.

We look to the Diplomatic Community to complement and reinforce the mission set out by the Framework. Whether through financial contributions, technical assistance, or knowledge exchange, your partnership will be essential to its successful implementation.

The Government of Maldives remains committed to delivering on the vision set out in the UNSDCF, which will advance us on the road to becoming a developed nation by 2040. We continue to be dedicated to transparency, accountability and to working hand in hand with all partners to ensure that progress is measurable and impactful.

Together, let us turn this Framework into a living instrument of progress – for the Maldives, and as a model of effective multilateral cooperation for all Small Island Developing States.

I thank you.