At the fifth Responsible Business Forum, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today called on business leaders to take a greater role in the new development era in order to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This Forum, opened in Singapore by UNDP and Global Initiatives, aims to address a sea change in the nature of development funding by creating a new partnership for sustainable development.

While foreign funding (Official Development Assistance) is still essential for the development system, it now accounts for 0.7 percent of total financial flows in Asia-Pacific (down from 13.5 percent in 1990), while domestic public and private finance accounts for 89 percent, according to a UNDP report launched last month.

It is one year since every country in the world signed up to the Sustainable Development Goals. They form a blueprint for addressing the most significant challenges facing our planet and its people. Challenges like climate change. This is likely to be the hottest year on record and here in Asia, climate change is a cause of the natural disasters that have claimed half a million lives in the last decade. Challenges like inequality, which has been growing for four-fifths of Asia-Pacific’s population over the last 20 years. Challenges brought on by the accelerating process of ageing, which will make it harder for many Asian states to provide basic services to their people. The 17 SDGs will address these challenges and other interlinked issues, including education, hunger and security. But governments cannot implement this blueprint on their own. Nor can the UN and other development organizations.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Asia-Pacific Development Effectiveness Facility (AP-DEF) opened a two-day meeting on aid ahead of the upcoming Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. More than 100 government delegates and development experts are exploring how to design integrated national financing frameworks for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Asia-Pacific. “Domestic sources of finance are emerging as a key driving force for sustainable development in Asia-Pacific,” said Haoliang Xu, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Director for Asia and the Pacific. “These new sources of finance allow us to expand the existing development cooperation and partnership.”

The report, entitled “Shaping the Future: How Changing Demographics Can Power Human Development”, notes that Asia-Pacific countries now have more working-aged people and fewer dependents than at any point in history, providing a springboard for growth. Region-wide, 68 percent of people are of working age and only 32 percent are dependents.

The community-driven solution to address water shortage in Baa Maalhos is the first of its kind in Maldives providing a bottom-up solution to the people.

Story of an island community's efforts to protect their livelihoods and their very existence.

students demonstrate how community awareness can be achieved through creativity and passion for the environment

Being young is seldom a hurdle when it comes to doing extraordinary things. If one possesses the kind of motivation, perseverance and the passion needed, nothing is really impossible. Dhaanish Nashid (Dan) — who’s just 22 — is living proof of that.

The Legal and Justice Sector Baseline Study is the first of its kind in the Maldives which will create the foundation regarding the state of an evidence based approach to access to justice in the Maldives.

Technical experts from the Ministry of Environment, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and Ukulhas council shared strategies and knowledge based on best-practices and demonstrated the success of Ukulhas, as an island community, in adopting its environment-friendly waste management system.

Through the existing South-South Cooperation modality facilitated by UNDP Malaysia, experts from the International Centre for Law and Legal Studies (I-CeLLS) worked closely with the staff of Supreme Court and UNDP team in developing the curriculum.

To mark International Youth Day 2015, UNDP Maldives has launched a targeted Social Media campaign under the theme of “Youth Civic Engagement”. This campaign encourages young people to voice their hopes, thoughts and opinions on being an active citizen – by means of photographs and short video clips. Selected submissions will be featured on UNDP online and print material while the winning submission; one that gathers the most number of likes and generates the most substantial message; will be given the opportunity to join the team of UNDP Maldives in field work.

The Mangroves for the Future (MFF) Programme, of UNDP, has today signed grant agreements with two grantees to undertake small grants projects in south Huvadhoo Atoll.

Today, what started off as a small, small grants project is now a success story told not just within the atolls of the Maldives, but at international level too.

Make My Island allows citizens to directly communicate and bring municipal issues and problems within the community to their respective councils through a web-based reporting application.

Nature Walk-- A Chance to reconnect with Nature and History

This year’s World Environment Day celebrations kicked off with a series of events. One of the most significant event was the ‘One Nation Coral Revival’ event—the largest turquoise fest in the country. The two-day coral revival event was organized by local NGO Save the Beach in Villimale which centred on replanting corals that had been rescued from a reef called Uthuru Thila Falhu.

The water related challenges predicted worldwide are a reality for the Maldives already. The good news is, we have started employing innovative solutions that fit our current and future needs.

UN Maldives together with Laamu Atoll Council and the Government of Maldives has successfully held the first ever Laamu Climate Change Forum (LCCF) on 20-21 April in Laamu Fonadhoo.

The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Haoliang Xu visited the Maldives from 10-13 April 2015.

UNDP Maldives holds first policy forum on the need for community dialogue, with a specific focus on initiating issue-based dialogues at the community level. The forum, held in Capital Male, was primarily focused on Lhaviyani Atoll.

Legislation and policies to uphold gender equality commitments need to be introduced. It should be noted that key legislations such as Domestic Violence Prevention Act (2012), Sexual Harassment Prevention Act, and Sexual Offences Act (2014) have been adopted. On going work to pass a Gender Equality Law is an important step towards achieving this. Institutions need to embrace gender sensitive practices, such as flexible working arrangements and effective mechanisms to address work place harassment, as the norm. Furthermore, empowered women such as Shafaaf need to be better highlighted to make women’s contribution to development more visible. Efforts are also needed to challenge unequal gender relations and address violence against women.

Forty young men and women representing all atolls of the Maldives will participate in a three-week intensive programme

The Pictalk project, through the photovoice methodology, aims to create a web-based platform where youth are presented with the opportunity express their opinions, concerns and perspectives, both individually or as a group, through pictures and photography.

The Maldives Youth Entrepreneurship Programme, GET SET MV, was launched by President Yameen Abdul Gayoom on this Monday (17 November 2014) during the National Youth Awards Ceremony held at Dharubaaruge.

United Nations Resident Coordinator and the UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Shoko Noda has presented her credentials to President of Maldives, Honorable Mr. Yameen Abdul Gayoom, during a ceremony held on this Tuesday at the President’s Office.

The UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to the Maldives, Ms. Shoko Noda has assumed office on this Sunday (19 October 2014).

More than forty participants took part in the event, including senior officials from the Government of Maldives, staff from UNDP and the Ministry of Tourism and members from local NGOs. Guesthouses operating in Hulhumale’ sponsored the bikes which the participants rode, while the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) based in Hulhumale’ and the Maldives Police Service also supported the event.

The Government of Maldives and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Maldives have formally signed the new Policy Programme ‘Sustaining inclusive and sustainable growth through building productive capacities’ this Sunday.

The Women’s Vision Report intends to bridge the gap between women and the decision makers and present to them the concerns and aspirations at personal, community and national levels of Maldivian women. It is hoped that the report can be used as a key tool to gauge the inclusiveness of the priorities of women in policies and programmes planned and implemented locally and nationally.

UNDP Maldives held a national workshop to share the preliminary findings of the Justice and Legal Sector Baseline Study, this Wednesday.

UNDP Maldives launched the prototype-testing phase of its innovative project, ‘MakeMyIsland’ last Tuesday.    The project, through a web-based application, aims to connect local communities to their respective local councils to address municipal concerns such as waste management, street lighting and problems...

The Report – Bridging the Divide: Addressing vulnerabilities, Reducing Inequalities – presents an informative yet, critical analysis of these disparities, focusing on the inequalities that continue to exist in the country while shedding light on the vulnerabilities faced by the country that significantly contributes to these inequalities.

The documentary, ‘Good Practices on Waste Management’ explores the waste management practices in the islands of Alif Alif atoll Ukulhas, Meemu atoll Dhiggaru and Haa Alif atoll Vashafaru.

The UNDP and the secretariat of the People’s Majlis have jointly held a one-day induction training for the newly elected members of the eighteenth parliament last Monday (26 May 2014) at the Traders Hotel. The training was supported under UNDP’s Integrated Governance Programme (IGP), which focses on building institutional capacities of various national institutes in the Maldives.

The LECReD is a three-year joint programme worth US$ 9.2 million aims at responding to the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) Outcome 9: Enhanced capacities at national and local levels to support low carbon life-styles, Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction.

The first high-level stakeholder meeting on the roll-out of the Maldives’ new Penal Code organized by UNDP Maldives and the Attorney General’s Office held

The Meedhoo auto-pot project is at a stage where it has become self-sufficient, and this is what the projects in other locations should aspire to as well. With proper market linkages, and the support of the government, donor agencies and local businesses, MEC is proof that the auto-pot project can benefit not only the direct beneficiaries of the project, but also the communities at large.

Male, Maldives – With More than a decade since the Government of Maldives published its first National Human Development Report (NHDR), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) welcomes the holding of the Final Consultation Workshop on the Maldives’ second NHDR – which marks a significant step in the efforts of the country to rejoin the global network of NHDRs after a fourteen year break.

The People’s Atoll - Story of the First Biosphere Reserve of the Maldives

NGOs creating awareness about protecting the tortoise population