New York, 18 July 2016: Speaking at the first High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, His Excellency Mr. Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Environment and Energy, provided an insight into Maldives’ initiatives in implementing the 2030 Agenda in his national context.
Noting the need to maintain the momentum since the Agenda’s adoption last year, Minister Ibrahim stressed the urgent need to start aligning national policies with the sustainable development goals and targets. In an effort to “localise the SDGs”, the Maldives has undertaken an exercise to map them out against the government’s manifesto and existing sector plans. The results of this exercise, he said, were important in analysing the gaps that remain and to provide a baseline assessment of the state of play. Of note, the exercise showed that the Maldives’ domestic policies currently align with 70% of the sustainable development goals and targets, which is highly commendable.
Minister Ibrahim informed the Forum of the establishment of a ministerial committee to oversee the coordination and monitoring of SDG implementation in the Maldives. Additionally, a technical committee has also been formed, with participation of all stakeholder ministries, private sector and NGOs with an effort to reflect the inclusive approach of the SDGs.
The Minister of Environment and Energy also spoke about the important interlinkages between oceans and sustainable development in Small Island Developing States such as the Maldives. Reflecting that sustainable development is a way of life, “ingrained into our traditions and culture”, he said that the reason why Maldives was able to graduate from LDC status in 2011 was because of “sustainably using marine resources and biodiversity for many generations for economic development”.
The High Level Political Forum is the primary political platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development. This is the inaugural session of the Forum since the adoption of the SDGs in September 2015. The HLPF also serves as the primary platform for the review of the SAMOA Pathway. During the HLPF, the Maldives both in its national capacity and in its capacity as Chair of Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) has highlighted various challenges to begin implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
ENDS
