A Grant of USD 25.1 Million Towards Building Climate Resilient Safer Islands in the Maldives

The project for Building Climate Resilient Safer Islands in the Maldives has been granted funds worth USD 25.1 million by the Green Climate Fund board. This announcement was made during the 29th meeting of the organisation held virtually in the past week.  
 
To be implemented in partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project is in line with the Government’s Strategic Action Plan aimed to strengthen the vulnerable Maldivian islands when faced with increase in coastal disaster risk and land loss due to acceleration of coastal erosion through four main components. 
 
As part of the project, an Integrated Coastal Zone Management will be established to overlook, research and manage the developmental phases for coastal development and coastal conservation at inhabited islands. In the following phase, coastal conservation and protection measures at selected sites in Laamu Atoll Maamendhoo, Fonadhoo, Gan and Isdhoo as well as Addu City Meedhoo will be carried out. The measures will be handed over to the locals in the regions for a community-based beach monitoring and management structures will be established as part of these measures. 
 
Additional components of the project include the upgrading to a system for disaster warning and information dissemination to be used in national disaster warning, introducing new equipment for wave and sea level observation, and developing a monitoring system for coast, coral reef, and land use.  
 
JICA is co-funding the initiative by covering additional USD 35.4 million in grants, whilst the Maldivian government is fulfilling the rest worth USD 5.5 million in budgetary and in-kind contributions.