UN Resident Coordinator Mansoor Ali and Finance Minister Ali Hashim yesterday signed the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), a five-year agreement that will see the UN continue its presence in the Maldives, honouring its US$40.6 million pledge made at the Maldives donor conference.
Mansoor Ali said the UN was engaging with the Maldives at a “very critical juncture” when the country is transitioning from Least-Developed-Country (LDC) status to Middle Income status.
“The graduation is not an event but a process,” he explained. “The graduation is a measure how well a country has developed, but middle income status does not necessarily mean there is equity in the country all the time.
“We are in a position where there has been a global economic crisis, and locally there have been a fuel and food crisis, so the graduation process is taking that into account.”
Finance Minister Ali Hashim said the role of the UN in the country post-LDC status was “something we have been discussing for a long time.”
“The UN is going to maintain a presence here in the Maldives even after graduation, because there will be a transition period,” he said, explaining that the international body’s assistance would be crucial in assisting with the establishment of bilateral agreements.
“We will no longer get concessions in the case of foreign loans or preferential treatment in trade agreements,” Hashim said, “but there are some countries that have indicated they are willing to enter into bilateral agreements and provide the country with transitional agreements over 3-5 years. The UN presence will be maintained during this transitional period.”
The UN indicated that it would work “shoulder to shoulder with the government to deliver outcomes”, targeting key areas of health, education, social security and welfare, democratic governance, HIV and substance abuse, climate change and environmental adaptation, and gender equality.
“Our committment [to the Maldives] still remains in your journey to a much more fruitful and democratic Maldives,” Mansoor Ali said.
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Great news. Well done.
We are not ready for this. 40 Percent of our countrymen are still presumed to be under the poverty line. Male' is cramped and over crowded. And every month, homes are being abandoned in the Islands in search of better education and health care opportunities.
We may get revenue from tourism, but there is such disparity in income - such uneven distribution - that our graduation to a middle income country is completely unwarranted.
If we lose this aid, preferential treatment, etc the governments which follow this one will be in serious trouble.
It's upto the government to ensure that it manages the wealth created in the country and help in its fair distribution.
The State coffers get very little of the enormous amounts of money that pour into the Tourism industry. Much of this money doesn't even touch our soil. The governments of today and tomorrow need to manage this and other sources of income and ensure its utilised to the benefit of the whole country.
It doesn't make sense to cry and argue that we should not graduate from an LDC status. Facts are that there is wealth generated in the country and it needs to be managed properly.
Ahmed, by "managed" - do you mean that tourism income should be unduly appropriated?
I remember Ma Vota shareef press conference saying the government only got fever than $10 milion. Does this mean that the opposition party is incompetent? or they just saying something for the sake of saying. People must really look into this matter. Because the way i see it God knows how much money we got from donations and how much figure they are showing. because the opposition is utterly rediculous