Maldives | UNSDCF Strategic Prioritization Workshop & UNCT Retreat 2026 Welcoming Remarks by Regional Director for Asia-Pacific at the United Nations Development Coordination[...]

A strong Cooperation Framework must also address the question of financing.

Assalaamu Alaikum and good morning colleagues!

It is my pleasure to virtually join you from Bangkok for the opening of the 2026 Strategic Prioritization Workshop for the Cooperation Framework, alongside your UNCT Retreat in the Maldives.

Let me begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to our Resident Coordinator, and to the entire UN Country Team, for your leadership and continued commitment to supporting the people and Government of the Maldives.

You are convening at a particularly complex moment. Across the region, and globally, we are witnessing overlapping challenges: geopolitical tensions, an energy crisis, accelerating climate impacts, and an increasingly constrained fiscal space.

These are not abstract trends - they are shaping the environment in which countries are making critical development choices, often under significant pressure.

In this context, the role of the United Nations is more important than ever. There is a clear expectation for a system that is coherent, effective, and firmly grounded in our core values - human rights, solidarity, peace, justice, and dignity.

This places a responsibility on all of us to deliver in a more coordinated and strategic manner. We need to be clear in our priorities, innovative in our engagement, and aligned in how we support national development efforts.

Our collective strength lies in that unity - guided by the SDGs and the UN Charter, and anchored in equity and inclusion.

What you shape over the coming days is therefore of real significance.
Not only for the Maldives, but as an important example of how the UN can position itself as a partner in Small Island Developing States across Asia-Pacific.

Small Island Development States, such as the Maldives, have the unique context of being on the frontlines of climate vulnerability, while also navigating structural economic challenges and exposure to external shocks. It is absolutely essential that SIDS receive integrated and forward-looking support from the UN system.

In the Maldives, this means ensuring that the Cooperation Framework is closely aligned with national priorities.

This includes advancing climate adaptation and the blue-green economy, strengthening social protection systems, supporting education reform, accelerating digital transformation, and advancing gender equality.

At the same time, there is strong national momentum to build on. The Maldives' election to the Commission on the Status of Women, together with progress in expanding inclusive public services-including digital services-reflects the country's growing leadership as a SIDS country.

As you begin shaping the next Cooperation Framework, I would encourage you to approach this process with both ambition and discipline.

Prioritization will require difficult choices. It will be important to focus on areas where the UN can deliver the greatest transformative impact-particularly where financing constraints risk slowing progress.

The Framework should reflect the Maldives' ambition to achieve Developed Country status by 2040, while ensuring that development gains are inclusive and that no one is left behind.

In practical terms, it should clearly articulate the added value of the UN development system - how we bring together our collective expertise, presence, and partnerships in support of national priorities.

A strong Cooperation Framework must also address the question of financing. This includes how the UN can help mobilize and align resources - working with international financial institutions, development banks, and the private sector - to accelerate national SDG progress.

In this regard, the UN's role as a trusted convener remains essential -
including in leveraging South-South and triangular cooperation, particularly in areas such as climate resilience and the blue economy.

I would also encourage you to make full use of UN 2.0 capabilities-
including data, digital innovation, foresight, and behavioural insights-to strengthen analysis, inform decision-making, and anticipate risks.

This aligns with broader system-wide reforms under discussion. The UN80 initiative reflects a shared recognition that the system must continue to evolve - to be more efficient, more coherent, and better equipped to respond to increasingly complex country contexts.

For UN Country Teams, this evolving landscape will require continued agility - in how we prioritize, how we work together, and how we demonstrate results and value.

In this context, the RC System is also evolving, including through the rollout of DCO 2.0 - to better support Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams in delivering more integrated, responsive, and fit-for-purpose support at country level.

I encourage you to take into consideration this evolving broad context during your time together in strategizing how best the UN can support Maldives as a trusted partner for development.

By the end of this retreat, three areas of clarity should be sought:

First, to know your top strategic priorities.

Second, how these priorities align with national ambition and the UN's capacity to deliver.

And third, how the priorities can be positioned to attract and sustain financing.

I am confident the Maldives RCO and UNCT is well placed to deliver on this ambitious goal. Thank you once again for your commitment, and I you a productive and successful workshop.

ENDS