The government of Maldives has requested assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) over the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner held discussions over a telephone conversation. During the conversation, the foreign minister briefed the UNDP administrator on the present health situation in the country, and the socio-economic crisis the Maldives faces due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The minister also discussed UNDP's COVID-19 Integrated Response Offer and emphasised the importance of giving particular consideration to the unique economic vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
During the phone conversation, Minister Shahid briefed the UNDP administrator on the stringent measures the Maldives has undertaken to control and contain the spread of the COVID-19, as well as the challenges the country faces in addressing the health emergency and the strain on public finances. The minister took the example of the COVID-19 crisis to remind the international community, the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), such as the Maldives, to external economic shocks.
In this regard, the minister highlighted the Maldives' high dependency on the tourism industry for sustaining the economy, noting that while the entire revenue of the government is currently directed to the health emergency, the tourism industry is entirely shut down, which is causing severe negative impacts on the economy.
Minister Shahid emphasised the early steps taken by the Maldives to combat COVID-19 have made a difference in keeping the number of positives cases low, and the number of deaths at zero. He noted the critical importance of the international community providing support to the Maldives to save lives and to minimise the economic and social impact of COVID-19.
Foreign Minister Shahid welcomed the initiative by UNDP to assist countries to overcome the unprecedented socio-economic challenges due to the pandemic and informed the UNDP administrator the Maldives will be soon submitting proposals to access resources under UNDP's COVID-19 Integrated Response Offer which will focus on both the immediate requirements of the health emergency, as well as long-term economic recovery. He thanked the UNDP for its continued support to the Maldives over the years and commended the extraordinary measures being undertaken by the UN globally.