This project will enable the Maldives to recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic and align the road to recovery with progress towards achieving the SDGs
The Government of Maldives and the United Nations in Maldives have signed a project document today, titled, “Protecting Women and Children: Digitalizing and Streamlining Social Services and Creating a Unified Platform for National Care”. At the ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the project document was signed by His Excellency Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Government of Maldives and Ms. Catherine Haswell, United Nations Resident Coordinator, on behalf of the UN in Maldives.
This project will enable the Maldives to recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic and align the Maldives’ road to recovery with progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main objective of this project is to strengthen shock-responsive social protection benefits and services to protect women and girls from falling into poverty, and to safeguard them from violence in prolonged socioeconomic and emergency situations, such as the global pandemic. Funded by the global UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Multi-Partner Trust Fund, the project will be implemented jointly by the Government, UN Agencies and civil society organizations, with a total budget of US$ 452,500.00.
To help the Maldives build back better, the project aims to achieve three key results:
•Strengthened capacity of national stakeholders to support social norms to prevent gender-based violence, empower women and increase access to reproductive health and economic opportunities.
•Increased access for the most vulnerable populations, including children, women, elderly, persons with disabilities, people with mental illness and those living in poverty, through better data collection at all levels.
•Consolidate and build an integrated, efficient, inclusive and sustainable social protection system based on the principles of Universal Basic Income (UBI) paving the way towards a reformed, expanded, streamlined and digitized national social protection policy in line with the Government’s recovery plan.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the Government’s firm commitment to protect the most vulnerable groups in our population and noted that a large proportion of the Government’s revenue has been spent on the socioeconomic response to this global pandemic. Minister also thanked the UN Secretary-General for the access to the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund and expressed gratitude that the Maldives is one of the few countries that were able to receive support twice under this Multi-Partner Trust Fund. Minister Shahid also acknowledged the hard work of the UN Country Team and the stakeholders’ team that worked behind the scene.
In her remarks at the event, the UN Resident Coordinator reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to strengthen the social protection system to help the most vulnerable Maldivians. She also stated that, as we kickstart a new year, the UN Maldives aims to work closely with all stakeholders for a bigger impact in the country’s road to an inclusive, sustainable recovery.
As the Maldives continues its fight to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Maldives and the United Nations remains committed to supporting accelerated achievement of the 2030 Agenda and leaving no one behind. The Government and UN will closely monitor the targets of the Joint Programme during its implementation from 15 October 2020 to 1 November 2021.
ENDS