Maldives Green Fund to merge “scattered” climate finance

Transparency Maldives has called for stronger anti-corruption climate finance safeguards, following the government’s declaration it would establish a ‘green fund’ that would merge all climate change, conservation, and sustainable development project trust-funds.

President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik’s cabinet proposed a Maldives “Green Fund” be established, which would merge all the currently established trust funds in accordance with the government’s Biosphere Reserve sustainable development policy.

The purpose for merging the funds would be to enable cost reductions and strengthen operational efficiency for foreign investments for waste management, water management and renewable energy projects.

Shortly following this April 30 announcement, Transparency Maldives called for “stronger anti-corruption safeguards in climate finance” as part of the civil society recommendations presented to the Minister of Environment and Energy Dr Mariyam Shakeela during the “NGO Forum on Environment and Sustainable Development 2013” held May 5.

During the NGO forum, Transparency Maldives Chairperson Mohamed Rasheed Bari called on the government to strengthen governance mechanisms by including stronger standards of transparency, accountability and integrity.

Currently, climate funds are “scattered” because there is no consolidated national governance mechanism with a proper internationally governed governance structure in the Maldives, Transparency Maldives Climate Governance Senior Project Manager Azim Zahir told Minivan News today (May 19).

“In principle establishing a ‘green fund’ to consolidate climate change mitigation and adaptation money is ‘ok’ as long as it adheres to international best practices and good governance standards,” said Zahir.

The Environment Ministry had not responded to inquiries at time of press.

No overarching climate policy

“The government lacks an overarching climate change policy,” a civil society source familiar with the challenges facing climate governance in the Maldives, told Minivan News. “There are no specific goals, which has resulted in project-based, ad hoc and climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives.”

The source explained that conflicting ministerial mandates and unclear rules have created redundancies and left civil servants “confused”.

“The root cause of the problem is administrative – the lack of clear mandates between who is doing what,” the source said. “There are also ministerial rivalries regarding certain projects because clear mandates are lacking.”

“I find it strange the Ministry of Environment does not have a climate change department, considering they are the people in charge of the entire amount of funds,” the source added.

“One person is in charge of massive [amounts] of funds. There is a lack of human resources within the Environment Ministry. Only a couple of people have dominated [climate change projects] since the 1990’s,” claimed the source.

Some people within the ministry working on foreign aid projects write themselves in as project staff as well to in order supplement their “really low” monthly government salaries of MVR 6000 to MVR 8000 (US$ 389 to US$ 519), alleged the source.

“The same people work on each project, they don’t have new people,” the source claimed.

“These senior civil servants say the Environment Ministry lacks capacity and young people with knowledge and technical skills, however they are not providing training and opportunities [to the newer civil servants].

“They have a complete monopoly on knowledge” which is not being properly diffused, the source added.

Politics and bureaucracy

After the Foreign Ministry has signed a bilateral agreement the funds are transferred to the Finance Ministry, which then allocates the money to the applicable ministry or government agency, according to the source.

Most climate projects were handled under the Ministry of Housing and Environment during former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration, the source explained. Additionally, the President’s Office also undertook many climate change initiatives and established the Presidential Advisory Council on Climate Change in 2009.

“The council still exists on paper and while some people within the President’s Office said the council members have been changed [following the controversial transfer of power February 7, 2012], no one has been informed if they have been fired. They have no idea what’s going on,” alleged the source.

Additionally, the National Planning Council (NPC) – chaired by the president and consisting of various ministers and civil society representatives – was formed in February 2009 to coordinate equitable sustainable development nationwide.

Currently the NPC website states: “Due to the change of the Government , the work of the National Planning Council is currently under reform. Therefore all proposals and issues submitted to Department of National Planning/ National Planning Council is on hold for the time being.”

Under President Waheed’s government the Ministry of Housing and Environment was split to form two new entities, the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure as well as Energy and Environment.

Due to the these changes and ongoing government instability “There has been a significant change in the process of how the project [cycle] works,” explained the source.

“For various political reasons – and the delicate nature of politics since February 2012 – climate change funds have not been consolidated,” the source continued. “It takes a lot of work to channel climate funds. Even under Nasheed’s previous administration there were the same problems.”

An additional reason Waheed’s administration “differs” from Nasheed’s is the current government “has not been ‘very keen’ on cooperating with civil society,” alleged the source.

“Previously they behaved really unprofessionally toward certain NGOs, however since the latter half of 2012, the government has started to try and engage NGOs and civil society – maybe to increase the administration’s legitimacy,” the source continued.

“A positive is the Environment Ministry under Waheed’s administration has been very active. They actually try to do things,” the source noted.

“However, the government consults civil society stakeholders after they’ve already decided everything. They invite NGOs to listen to their opinions, but do not seek their input during the project planning phase,” the source added.

“Ultimately, most [climate finance] problems apply to both administrations, under Nasheed and Waheed,” the source added.

Existing trust funds

“There are three umbrellas – the Maldives Environmental Management Project (MEMP), the Climate Change Trust Fund (CCTF), the Sustainable Renewable Energy Project (SREP) – under each there are different components,” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environment and Social Safeguards Coordinator Ibrahim Mohamed told Minivan News earlier this month.

“The idea is that these projects be developed in such a way that the entire nation becomes a biosphere reserve, that’s the overall goal,” he added.

The MEMP umbrella is a US$ 13.88 million World Bank loan, approved in 2008 and set to close in 2014.

“The MEMP is a soft loan in the sense the interest is very less, and this project also has several components,” said Mohamed.

“Only one component is solid waste management, focused in Ari Atoll. Other areas include environmental monitoring, training and capacity building, and a bachelor of environmental science was established at the Maldives National University (MNU),” he continued.

“There is also a renewable energy component to install solar roofing of public buildings on Thinadhoo [Island in Huvadhoo Atoll], so at least 25 percent of their energy will come from solar. That component also has awareness and training on energy efficiency and conservation of energy.

The US$ 9.5 million CCTF picks up where MEMP left off, according to Mohamed.

“Under the CCTF umbrella we have three components: clean energy for climate mitigation, wetland conservation and coral reef monitoring, as well as solid waste management,” Mohamed explained.

“The World Bank is managing the donor money from the CCTF. They don’t finance directly to the government, because they want it to be managed by a reliable, transparent, international fiduciary system.

“The CCTF idea is that the project(s) we develop becomes an exemplary example for other small island states,” he added.

The CCTF was established in 2010 after the signing of an MOU between the Maldives government, the World Bank Group and the European Union with the aim of targeting solid waste management, capacity building for environmental management, and technical assistance for monitoring and managing key natural assets.

The US$138 million SREP was established in 2012 to generate 16 megawatts of renewable energy on 50 islands in the next five years.

The SREP scheme was directly related to the Scaling-up Renewable Energy Program (SREP) originally planned to be submitted to the World Bank in February 2012, but was not due to the political upheaval that resulted from Nasheed’s controversial resignation February 7, 2012.

Additionally, the Maldives has received Global Environment Facility (GEF) grants totaling US$14,443,426 – that leveraged US$35,176,820 in co-financing resources – for 10 national projects, four regional projects, and eight small grants. The project areas focus on climate change, biodiversity, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants, and the ozone layer.

The GEF is an independently operating financial organisation that supports national sustainable development initiatives and addresses global environmental issues by working in partnership with the United Nations, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Asian Development Bank (ADB) as well as civil society organisations and the private sector.

The GEF “unites” 183 countries with these actors and claims to be the largest public funder of projects to improve the global environment.

“The EU has suggested that the Maldives’ government look at one atoll with the potential for populations to move and to live and do more projects there – such as waste management, clean energy, protection, preservation, adaptation – all things in one big area, so that these things will be more visible,” said Mohamed.

“If all the components go into one atoll they will become more climate resilient,” he added.

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Maldives at “critical juncture” of democratic transition: UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs

The Maldives is at a critical juncture in its democratic transition ahead of the elections in September, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco has said at the conclusion of his three day visit to the country.

Calling for widespread political backing for “free, fair and non-violent elections”, Fernandez-Taranco “stressed that while respecting the Constitution, the credibility of the electoral process and acceptability of the results depends on whether all candidates wishing to participate in the the presidential elections are able to do so.”

He also recommended immediate investigation of allegations of police brutality and acts of intimidation holding the perpetrators to account, and called for the immediate strengthening of the Maldives Police Service, Police Integrity Commission, Judiciary, Judicial Services Commission, People’s Majlis, and Human Rights Commission.

In his statement, Fernandez-Taranco specifically referred to the initial findings of UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Gabriela Knaul, who in February this year criticised the appointment of judges presiding over the case against former President Mohamed Nasheed, for his controversial arrest of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed in 2011.

“Being totally technical, it seems to me that the set-up, the appointment of judges to the case, has been set up in an arbitrary manner outside the parameters laid out in the laws,” Knaul said at the time.

Fernandez-Taranco called on the Maldives’ national and international partners “to contribute to the reform of the justice sector and the independence of the judiciary”, and emphasised “the importance of avoiding the instrumentalisation of judicial proceedings.”

Meanwhile, according to a statement from the President’s Office, Fernandez-Taranco “applauded President Waheed for his leadership techniques in restoring peace and stability following the change of power in February 2012.”

“Mr Taranco noted the tremendous strides made by the country towards embracing and institutionalisation of multi-party democratic governance,” the President’s Office stated.

“President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik assured the United Nations of the government’s commitment, to create a stable and transparent environment conducive to dialogue and free and fair elections and to strengthen democratic reform and institutions in the Maldives,” the statement added.

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UN website hacked by Anonymous

The United Nation (UN)’s Maldives website has been defaced by internet ‘hacktivists’ Anonymous.

Maldives Anonymous, who claimed responsibility for the hack, posted a large image on the UN homepage stating that the group had exposed the website’s weak security.

“You have been hacked. We are here. Your security is zero. System is pwned and owned by Anonymous.MV404,” the message reads. “Don’t hate me for this. Your security made me do this.”

A post on Anonymous Maldives’ Facebook page, calls for the UN to “update its security” following the attack.

Anonymous is a loosely associated international group of hackers that claims to strongly oppose internet censorship and surveillance.

Formed in 2003, the group has hacked into a number of government computer systems across the world.

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UN delegation to assess environment for 2013 elections

The United Nations is sending a delegation to the Maldives to conduct an electoral needs assessment ahead of the 2013 elections, and determine what UN assistance should be provided.

During the mission to the Maldives from December 3-5, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernández-Taranco “will meet with senior officials of the government and
political parties, as well as representatives of civil society, to discuss the current situation
and identify opportunities to support the country’s process of democratic consolidation,” the organisation said in a statement.

“A group of electoral experts from the Department of Political Affairs and UNDP will conduct an electoral needs assessment mission (NAM) for possible UN assistance to the country’s next elections expected for 2013,” the UN statement added.

The visit from the UN delegation follows accusations from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) that the UN Resident Coordinator and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had remained “shamefully silent regarding the widespread human rights violations taking place.”

While “the IPU, CMAG, Canada, the Human Rights Committee, the EU and certain international NGOs such as Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights have expressed varying degrees of alarm at the Maldives’ backsliding on democracy and human rights, others including the UN Resident Coordinator and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have remained shamefully silent,” said the party’s spokesperson, MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, said in a recent statement.

“Since February’s overthrow of the Maldives’ democratically-elected government, key parts of the international community have remained silent regarding the widespread human rights violations taking place. To remain silent in the face of injustice is to be an accomplice to that injustice,” he added.

The UN released a subsequent statement defending its activity in the Maldives and reiterating its “strict impartiality toward political parties”.

In the statement, the UN said it “continues to be concerned that the current situation in the country may have an impact on the country’s development”, and noted examples of the international organisation’s activities in the Maldives.

“As a trusted partner, the UN has spoken repeatedly in public and in private over the course of several years and three governments on democracy, development, and human rights. Most recently, the Secretary-General spoke of the need for political dialogue, national reconciliation, and respect for the constitution. He called on all parties to exercise maximum cooperation and restraint,” the UN stated.

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Maldives to sign UN convention against organised crime

The Majlis’ National Security Committee has agreed to the Maldives becoming signatory to the United Nations (UN) Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, reports Sun Online.

The convention, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2000, has been signed by 147 states before Maldives.

The UNODC website states that country’s which sign and then ratify this convention commit themselves to the following:

  • The creation of domestic criminal offences (participation in an organized criminal group, money laundering, corruption and obstruction of justice)
  • The adoption of new and sweeping frameworks for extradition, mutual legal assistance and law enforcement cooperation
  • The promotion of  training and technical assistance for building or upgrading the necessary capacity of national authorities

The committee agreed that the Maldives becomes a party to the convention provided it does not contain protocols that run contrary to the constitution or the tenets of Islam.

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‘Small justice served to small states’: Waheed speaks at UN

“Small justice is being served for a small state,” President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has said during the meeting of the 67th UN General Assembly.

“It is regrettable, but true, that some powerful international actors have come out in public and instructed the Maldives to take certain measures contradictory to our laws,” he said.

The President’s speech came during a high level meeting designed to reaffirm global commitment to the rule of law in order to further the UN’s goals of international peace, human rights, and development.

“We believe that the story of the Maldives needs to be told. It is a lesson to be learnt by other small states. The application of the rule of law is to protect the smaller and the weaker; to prevent small justice being served to small states,” said the President.

“The world’s small states cannot afford to be complacent. Our experience in dealing with the powerful international actors in the past few months has not been pleasant. If we do not stand up, and draw your attention to the injustices, the next could be one of you,” Waheed said.

A draft declaration agreed upon at the meeting included the recognition that the rule of law applies to all states equally.

Referring to the requests received from the international community during this year’s political turmoil in the Maldives, Waheed said that “powerful international actors” had instructed the Maldives to take certain measures contradictory to its laws.

“We were asked bring to an end a Presidential term and hold elections even if they were not allowed under the Constitution. We were asked in no uncertain terms to abide by such instructions even if it meant amending the Constitution,” Waheed told the meeting.

“We are being asked to withdraw certain criminal cases filed by independent state bodies for crimes as serious as the armed forces abducting and keeping in isolation, a serving judge. We were told to take these measures for the good of the country,” he continued.

The most notable group’s calling for early elections following the controversial resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed in February came from the European Union (EU) and the Commonwealth.

“When we questioned these instructions, the Maldives was labelled as an uncooperative State, casting doubt on the country’s democratic credentials. We were placed on an international watch-list, without due process,” said Waheed.

Commonwealth experience

Waheed’s visit to New York will also see him attend the Commonwealth’s Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting which is scheduled to deliberate upon whether the Maldives will be kept on its investigative agenda.

The government has persistently questioned CMAG’s ability to place the country on this list of nations – reserved for those suspected of violating the Commonwealth’s core values.

Following last month’s Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) report, which appeared to have absolved the current administration of being involved in what had been termed by many a coup, the government has again strongly urged its removal from the agenda.

The composition of the CNI itself was amended after pressure from the Commonwealth.

Waheed’s speech reiterated arguments made in a government statement sent to CMAG earlier this month.

“These are clearly punitive measures against a country whose economy is dependent on its image. The labelling has resulted the Maldives losing significant investments, external loan financing, and foreign tourist arrivals into the country,” he said.

“This has also encouraged domestic unrest. It has choked the country’s governance system and crippled our infant democracy,” Waheed added.

The Maldives’ tourist industry figures show that growth has continued this year, with arrivals increasing by 2.9 percent up to August compared with the previous year.

However, 2012’s year on year growth has slowed significantly when compared with last year’s rate of 18 percent at the same point.

China, whose growing tourists to the Maldives offset falling arrivals from Europe, agreed a package of concessional loans and aid worth US$500million earlier this month.

Concerns over investor confidence in the country have become focused on the airport development deal with Indian company GMR – the largest in the nation’s history. Pro-government political parties have repeatedly called for the airport’s nationalisation.

Significant investment in the renewable energies sector was also said to have been lost this year as a result of the country’s political instability.

“As one of the smallest countries in the world, there is very little we could do politically to counter the pounding that we are subjected to by some international partners. We lack the political and economic might of the larger states to counter the weight of these international players. There is no recourse available for small states like the Maldives. We were not given a fair hearing, or the benefit of doubt,” Waheed said.

“We do recognise that international organisations play a valuable and indispensable role in promoting the rule of law. Small states, like the Maldives, value our membership of international organisations. We depend on them to advance our interests and values. We expect them to work with us in promoting the rule of law.”

International Spokesman for Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Hamed Abdul Ghafoor described the speech as a “sob story”.

“CMAG is saying that there are severe structural deficiencies in the country’s democratic institutions. Waheed has taken advantage of this,” said Ghafoor.

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President Waheed meets UN Secretary General

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan yesterday met with Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon in New York.

“Today I met with UNSG Ban Ki-moon,” read the President’s official Twitter feed. “Now that transfer of power is proven legitimate, he said it is time to move ahead with the nation.”

Waheed is in New York to address the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which opened last Tuesday.

“I will focus my address on the present treatment of smaller nations and special efforts to maintain independence and sovereignty of such nations. I will also touch on the way Maldives was treated by some of the larger countries,” he told Haveeru before his departure.

He is also reported to be attending the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting which meets annually in the wings of the UNGA.

After the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) conferred legitimacy on February’s transfer of power, the government has urged CMAG to remove the Maldives from its investigative agenda.

Opposition politicians, including former President Mohamed Nasheed, have argued that CMAG’s revised mandate warrants keeping the country on the agenda.

CMAG are scheduled to discuss the issue on September 28.

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“Why doesn’t Rasheed petition FIFA to sack me?”: Dr Shaheed rubbishes Riyaz’s calls for his resignation

Deputy Leader of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) and MP for Vilifushi constituency Riyaz Rasheed yesterday submitted a resolution to the People’s Majlis calling on former Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed to resign from his post as UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to Iran.

Sun Online reported that the resolution was linked to the recently published 2010 audit report of the Foreign Office, dating from the time Dr Shaheed headed the department during the Presidency of Mohamed Nasheed.

The media outlet reported that Rasheed’s resolution called for action to be taken against Shaheed for his part in what the MP believes to have been corrupt practices.

“We call for the investigation of these accusations of corruption, and also to take action against Dr Shaheed,” the resolution is said to have read.

Shaheed responded to the corruption allegations shortly after the report’s release, calling them “politically motivated, misleading, ill-informed, and anachronistic”.

He noted that the report highlighted “systemic deficits” but said he felt they were in no way indicative of a lack of integrity of civil servants in the office.

Rasheed was today unwilling to speak with Minivan News, so it remains unclear what action he proposes the Majlis take against Shaheed who works in an independent capacity, without salary, on behalf of the United Nations.

Comments on Shaheed’s Twitter page yesterday suggested that he failed to see how Rasheed’s wishes were pertinent to the Majlis’s remit.

“Why doesn’t [Riyaz Rasheed] petition FIFA to sack me?” he asked in one post.

“If someone told him that a resolution in the parliament is not going to strip of him his FIFA referee accreditation, he might understand,” said Dr Shaheed, when speaking with Minivan News today.

Shaheed also suggested that the move by Rasheed was an angry response to the recent disclosure of details concerning money owed by the government to forensic accounting firm Grant Thornton.

The firm recently invoiced the government for over Rf107million (US$7 million) as a cancellation fee, after the current government requested the firm halt its investigation into illegal oil trading involving prominent politicians.

Special Rapporteurs are appointed after being recommended to, and ratified by the Human Rights Council (HRC) – a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly.

The HRC’s handbook on its special procedures states that “individual mandate-holders are selected on the basis of their expertise, experience, independence, impartiality, integrity and objectivity.”

Rasheed’s resolution says that Shaheed owed his position to an opportunity provided to him by the Maldivian state which may allude to his nomination having come from the Foreign Ministry. This is allowed for in the HRC’s procedures.

The position, however, is by its very nature not affiliated with the government, as the HRC handbook makes clear.

“The requisite independence and impartiality are not compatible with the appointment of individuals currently holding decision-making positions within the executive or legislative branches of their Governments or in any other organization or entity which may give rise to a conflict of interest with the responsibilities inherent to the mandate,” reads the document.

Shaheed yesterday was keen to make clear via Twitter that he served as special rapporteur in an individual capacity: “I am NOT in a post allotted to Maldives!” he tweeted.

Riyaz, who is the DQP’s sole parliamentary representative in the national unity government, also claimed that he felt Shaheed’s continuance in the position would damage the reputation of the Maldives.

Riyaz made headlines earlier in the year after calling for the Maldives to withdraw from the Commonwealth following the organisation’s criticism of the government’s attempt at political reconciliation.

This proposal came after Rasheed had criticised the current head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, labelling her “physically challenged” on national television.

Riyaz also criticised the democratic credentials of Britain owing to the Queen’s position as head of state despite the fact that she is a constitutional monarch whose powers are largely ceremonial.

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Comment: India speaks for small countries and establishes its credential in the CHOGM

In the recently conducted Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in
Perth from October 28-30, it was established that in the 21st century, the head of
the Commonwealth is shifting from London to New Delhi with the rise of India as
a Great Power.

Looking at the events leading up to the CHOGM and the outcome proves that
India has elbowed other countries in the CHOGM, which includes its former colonial
master Britain and aspiring Great Power in the Asia Pacific, Australia.

The western countries in the CHOGM, namely Britain, Australia and New
Zealand, wanted to pin the countries which were ruled by colonial masters before
by bringing about an institution which monitor the human rights in those
countries. This move was scuttled by India saying quite bluntly that CHOGM
should focus more on developmental challenges rather than bringing up the
issue of human rights for which there’s a better multi-lateral institution called the
United Nations.

India also went on to highlight the hypocrisy of the western nations and the
double-standards that they follow in pursuing lofty utopian concepts called human
rights. While the western world is keen to have the status-quo monarchies in
power in the Middle-East to serve their oil-benefits, they’re ready to wield a big
stick against countries like Fiji, Maldives and Sri Lanka which are in the fringes of
their geo-strategic objectives.

If the CHOGM is anything to go by, it’s clear that India has graduated itself from a regional power in South Asia to a Great Power in Asia Pacific that
can speak for the smaller nations in Africa, Latin America and Africa. India’s
pursuance of tactful diplomacy is done with an objective; it understands that
it needs the support of these countries for its candidature in the United Nations
Security Council.

Second, India would also not be conducting its diplomacy based on utopian
concepts like Human Rights while its near competitor is having a free-run for the resources in the Global South’s developing countries. It’s just a matter of time
before India will join the race with China to carve out “Spheres of Influence” in these regions, defining its neo-colonial pursuits. The last image that India will try to project is a torch-bearer of old power players from the West.

On the other hand, it’s good that India has finally understood its diplomatic strength. As the country which houses the most English speakers in the world, it has lived up to the expectation of filling the void left by Great Britain in the realm of Great Powers through the Commonwealth Nations. This point has been stated in the book “Reconnecting Britain and India,” published in 2010.

It’s here that a bit of appreciation for India’s founding fathers is needed.

Despite coming out of the colonial rule from the British and having staunch
opposition from the Indian population against joining the Commonwealth nations,
it was felt that a day will come when India as a Great Power could use its past for
the future. CHOGM has been the starting point of that ambition.

On that note, it will interesting to see on how India conducts its affairs in the
much-expected South Asian Affairs of Regional Co-operation (SAARC) summit scheduled in Maldives from 10th to 11th of this month.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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