The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is to continue supporting major projects in the environment sector of the Maldives.
This was revealed by the USAID Mission Director assigned to Maldives and Sri Lanka, Reed Aeschliman during an exclusive interview with RaajjeTV.
As such, when inquired about the details of some of the major projects the agency is currently supporting in the Maldives, Aeschliman revealed that Maldives is one of the countries severely impacted by climate change and that it is a threat to the very existence of Maldives, hence, USAID has focused a lot of its resources to the environment sector over the years, and expects to continue to do so.
Well, I think the first one I would like to mention is in the environment sector and as everyone knows, the Maldives is experiencing, we don't have to talk to the Maldivians about what climate change means because they are experiencing it, it is an existential threat to the Maldives’ very existence. So we have focused a lot of our resources over the years and continue to do so on the environment.”Reed Aeschliman, USAID Mission Director to Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Shedding light on some of the projects carried out, the USAID Mission Director revealed that the agency has worked with the government of Maldives and the civil society to increase the research and the data in mapping the coral reefs and marine life, which was consecutively presented to the decision-makers and policy-makers of the island nation, in order to help them reach decisions and policies about protected areas and regions to declare UNESCO biosphere reserves.
I know that in Fuvahmulah, Addu, some of the data that our experts provided as well as citizen scientists. Maldivian citizen scientists also supported the gathering of the data and presenting that again to the decision makers with the result of the naming of the UNESCO biospheres And we want to build on that in our new environment projects.”Reed Aeschliman, USAID Mission Director to Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Further, he went on to reveal that a five-year adaptation programme was launched during his visit last week.
As such, the adaptation programme worth MVR 10.5 million was launched in a bid to build on some of the work that has been conducted in the environment sector so far.
Highlighting his belief that this is an area where USAID can extend support in its environment partnership with the Maldives, Aeschliman stated that the programme has been built and activities have been expanded into the governance area, during his stay.
Shedding light on the government’s priority towards decentralization, the USAID Mission Director revealed that the agency has been able to work with NGOs and local governments, Women’s Development Committees (WDCs) nationwide as well as island councils as the capacity of these bodies to engage with the central government on their own development is something that needs to be improved in terms of capacity, for decentralization to work.
With this being said, Aeschliman highlighted that USAID is focused in the support for this effort as well as economic effort, economic governance efforts as well for the Maldives to pay for their own development.
And when they become an advanced economy, they will need to kind of have efficient and effective budgetary processes that are open and transparent. And I know the Ministry of Finance here is leading the effort of a programme-based budgeting system that has been operationalized for the first time.”Reed Aeschliman, USAID Mission Director to Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Touching down on the efforts by the Ministry of Finance to lead a programme-based budgeting system, Aeschliman noted that this will in turn allow taxpayers to understand where their taxes are going.
This he also described as an opportunity for the government to be better able to pay for their own
