[{"bbox": [96, 153, 1158, 234], "category": "Text", "text": "development aspects to Island Councils, which, however, lack resources and capacity. Regarding waste management, the Action is aligned with the government's commitment to phase out of Single-Use Plastic (SUP) by 2023 as well as waste management regulations and policies."}, {"bbox": [96, 258, 1158, 499], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action also builds on achievements of previous EU support to the conservation of the Maldives' critical coral reef biodiversity, wetlands and mangroves, which in partnership with the Climate Change Trust Fund administered by the World Bank supported capacity development in government agencies and the development of the Maldives' first nature parks – this has since been designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. As a member of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, the Maldives pledged to test approaches to sustainable development that are socially and culturally appropriate and environmentally sustainable. Aligning with this, the Action will establish a fund to test technological options and nature-based solutions for biodiversity conservation and waste management, thereby help combat climate change. The northern part of the Maldives will be prioritised as it has a larger population but less economic development and donor funding than other parts of the country⁵."}, {"bbox": [96, 523, 1158, 631], "category": "Text", "text": "Finally, the Action also builds on technical assistance and on-going projects funded through the SWITCH Asia programme related to waste management (such as the PROMISE programme on marine litter)⁶. Possible collaboration with EU Member States was explored to promote a Team Europe approach, but Member States presence/funding is currently limited as confirmed during the initial feasibility study."}, {"bbox": [96, 655, 1158, 764], "category": "Text", "text": "The proposed Action aligns with priority frameworks of the EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific⁷ and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development⁸, the EU Green Deal⁹ and Gender Action Plan III 2021-2025¹⁰, specifically the thematic area ‘*Addressing the challenges and harnessing the opportunities offered by the green transition and digital transformation.*’."}, {"bbox": [96, 788, 1158, 869], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action will contribute primarily to SDG 13 Climate Action. It also contributes significantly to SDGs 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 14 (Life Below Water), 15 (Life on Land), 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and 16 (Strong Institutions)."}, {"bbox": [85, 897, 323, 930], "category": "Section-header", "text": "# 2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 962, 234, 990], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [96, 1008, 1158, 1302], "category": "Text", "text": "With climate change posing an existential threat, 80% of the low-lying archipelago's total land area is predicted to be submerged by 2050 due to rising sea levels. The coral reefs surrounding the Maldives (representing 3.14 per cent of the world's reef areas), and mangroves, its first line of defence against increasingly frequent storm surges, are at risk due to sea warming. Environmental degradation, with inadequate waste management is also a growing issue threatening the country's marine environment on which its two-sector economy depends. Extreme climate vulnerability has influenced the Maldives' Foreign Policy as a vocal and like-minded (in most cases) advocate at international climate change fora, and also as a member of the Alliance of Small Island States. At domestic level, however, while the current Solih administration commits to the protection and preservation of its environment through a number of policy documents - the challenge lies in implementation of pledged commitments due to a lack of technical capacity, funds, coordination vis-à-vis its economic development agenda, especially in view of the geographic dispersion of the Maldives' islands and atolls."}, {"bbox": [96, 1326, 1158, 1406], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action aligns directly with the key development policy strategies of the Maldives, notably the (post-Covid) National Resilience and Recovery Plan 2020-2023, the Strategic Action Plan 2019-2023 (SAP), the National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan 2016-2025 (NBSAP), the revised Nationally Determined Contributions 2020, the"}, {"bbox": [85, 1452, 749, 1478], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁵ Activities in central and southern islands will be included depending on needs."}, {"bbox": [85, 1478, 467, 1503], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁶ https://www.switch-asia.eu/project/promise/"}, {"bbox": [85, 1503, 824, 1527], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁷ https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/2023/EU%20Indo-pacific.pdf"}, {"bbox": [85, 1527, 99, 1541], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁸"}, {"bbox": [85, 1550, 1137, 1598], "category": "Footnote", "text": "https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf"}, {"bbox": [85, 1598, 1125, 1623], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁹ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:b828d165-1c22-11ea-8c1f-01aa75ed71a1.0002.02/DOC_1&format=PDF"}, {"bbox": [85, 1623, 887, 1647], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁰ https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-01/join-2020-17-final_en.pdf"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1144, 1707], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 4 of 24"}]