The Government of Maldives and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have discussed areas for further cooperation and addressed issues of mutual significance. The discussions took place during a courtesy call paid by Resident Representative of UNDP Akiko Fujii on Vice President Faisal Naseem.
During the meeting held at the President's Office, Vice President Naseem extended a warm welcome to the representative upon her arrival at the President's Office and discussed areas for further cooperation and addressed issues of mutual significance.
Resident Representative Fuji offered her sympathies following Friday's tragic fire incident in Malé. Updating the representative on the administration's swift action, the vice president noted the administration is speedily directing all relevant authorities to devise mechanisms to ensure prevention of future incidents.
Speaking about the ongoing Youth Climate Summit in New York, the UNDP Representative emphasised the role of Maldivian' youth in joining the call to climate action and noted Maldives could play a guiding role in the international stage to ensure a more liveable planet for the future. She further applauded the efforts of the administration to strengthen bilateral and multilateral engagement and assured the commitment of UNDP to working with the Maldives in issues of mutual concern.
Stressing the Maldives is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, the vice president spoke about the importance of protecting and preserving the fragile ecosystem on which the tourism industry is heavily dependent upon. He noted due to concerted efforts of the administration, relevant authorities and civil societies, awareness on climate change is growing at a fast pace, especially amongst the youth and student populations. He further thanked the representative and UNDP for the continued support to the administration and the civil society towards finding solutions to persistent developmental challenges.
During the meeting, the representative also presented a copy of Youth Vulnerability Assessment in the Maldives, an extensive research conducted through the collaborative efforts of the National Counter Terrorism Centre and UNDP Maldives with support from the Government of Japan.