Maldives Human Development Report Challenges and Responses December 2000 © Ministry of Planning and National Development and United Nations Development Programme, 2000 ISBN: 99915 – 819 – 2 - 8 Published by: Ministry of Planning and National Development and United Nations Development Programme All rights of this work are reserved. No part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the publisher. Shorts excepts from the Publication may be reproduced for the purpose of research or review provided due acknowledgement is made. Printed in India: by Srinivas Fine Arts Cover design: Muaviath ali Layout: Fathimath Rukhsana Electronic Report: Adobe Acrobat PDF file construction by Ahmed D.C. Ishaaq, UNDP Malé 2001 CONTENTS Foreword Overview Chapter One THE STATE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Chapter Two VULNERABILITY AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Chapter Three MANAGING THE ECONOMY Chapter Four CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES Technical Note References This page is intentionally blank Foreword It is a matter of immense pride for all Maldivians that our country has made such remarkable progress in both economic growth and social development. Today the economy is flourishing, population growth is slowing, our indicators of health and education are the most favourable in the entire South Asian region and our exquisite islands are among the most highly coveted tourist destinations in the world. These outcomes are a result of several factors: enlightened leadership, rigorous development planning, the prudent management and investment of resources, and not least our unique religious and cultural identity that binds us together. And yet there is little room for complacency. Within the context of the changing world there are several new and existing challenges we face as a nation. Our children are attaining increasingly higher levels of education and we have to design creative strategies to meet their aspirations and provide them with opportunities to make productive use of their skills. Our growth strategies need to be refined so that disparities are reduced and the benefits of economic advancement accrue to all our citizens – men, women and children. We also need to safeguard and promote their rights through governance that is responsive and legal measures that are sensitive and comprehensive. While we have made remarkable achievements in providing access to health and education, we now need to concentrate on improving the quality of services. Our environment is our greatest wealth but it is fragile and we need to undertake serious measures to manage and protect it. The National Vision 2020, which has been formulated through extensive consultation with the community and the private sector, succinctly defines and prioritizes all these concerns and identifies bold new approaches to comprehensively address them. This is the first National Human Development Report prepared for the Maldives and it provides a wide-ranging account of the opportunities we possess and the challenges that we face as a nation. The Report emphasizes that the human development discourse puts people and what they value most – their security, their needs, their rights, their aspirations, their choices – at the centre of the development effort. It provides a measure of human development in the Maldives and takes stock of the progress that has been made. The Report highlights the fact that as a nation we are vulnerable to many external factors – including global environmental and economic changes to which we must be constantly alert. It concludes that we need to maintain the pace of economic progress and continue to take steps to distribute its benefits equitably. I trust that this Report will be read widely – by those in the government, non-government and private sectors, by doctors, teachers, environmentalists, students, community leaders, press persons and many others. I am sure that it will stimulate thinking and debate and provide an impetus for every citizen to participate in national development. I wish to thank United Nations Development Programme, Maldives, for making the preparation and publication of this document. I hope that this will be the first of a continuing series of such reports. Ibrahim Hussain Zaki Minister of Planning, and National Development Foreword In 1990 UNDP brought out the first Human Development Report (HDR) and since then these reports have been published annually, contributing facts, figures and analysing emerging challenges in people-centred development around the globe. The HDRs have been valuable in providing insight into particular themes that were relevant at the time of their publication. The success of these reports in promoting the dialogue on the many facets of human development world wide has led to the production of National Human Development Reports in more than 120. I am very pleased that the Maldives is joining this select group by releasing its first National Human Development Report jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Planning and National Development and the United Nations Development Programme. This first report appropriately focuses on the Challenges and responses for the country in the area of human development. We all know that the real wealth of a nation is in its people. The objective of development is to put people and what they value most – their security, their aspirations, their needs, their rights, their choices – at the centre of development. It is this concern for people and their well being that constitutes the basis for the first National Human Development Report for the Maldives. And this is the way human development is defined – as a process of expanding choices, enhancing people’s capabilities, fulfilling rights and expanding freedoms. Likewise, as stated in the report, the normal standard per capita income is not a good indicator of human development in the context of Maldives. Neither is the Human Development Index (HDI). Both fail to capture the true vulnerability of people, the insecurity of the population, and the extraordinary challenges for ensuring sustainable human development. For over two decades effective policies have been put in place to ensure that the benefits of growth are channelled into assuring people many of the basic social and economic rights but the challenges still remains. On the other hand, establishing an effective system of participation and local governance is again yet another challenge for the Maldives. People’s participation is severely constrained by geo-physical limitations, by the relative insularity of island communities, limited access to information, and restricted transport and interconnections between islands. The country remains extremely dependent on fisheries and tourism and international trade. The challenges still remain. Planning and implementing development projects in the Maldives takes a different way of looking at costs. To begin with, the appropriate ‘green’ technologies needed for even assuring people access to basic social services tend to be expensive. Further, the inadequacy of land-based resources implies that the Maldives is without durable building materials. There are neither rocks nor clays, and the country has not been able to afford experimentation with new types of possible building materials. Any type of construction therefore requires all imported materials without exception. Hence, the geography and vulnerability of the Maldives make these seemingly common approaches to human development quite complex and formidable. Accelerating human development in the Maldives is not a challenge just for the country, but for the entire global community that is obliged to protect and nurture the extraordinarily rich natural and environmental resources of this unique island nation. These are some of many challenges and responses discussed in this report which I am sure will give the reader ample food for thought. I hope that the report will stimulate further dialogue on the process of human development for the Maldives. I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the Government of the Maldives and in particular to the Minister of Planning and National Development Hon. Mr. Ibrahim Hussain Zaki for his commitment and dedication, which have been invaluable for the publication of this first National Human Development Report for the Maldives. Sjaak Bavelaar UN Resident Co-ordinator and UNDP Resident Representative Maldives Human Development Report 2000 Overview The real wealth of a nation is its people. maternal mortality rate is now 158 per And the purpose of development is to put 100,000 live births – down from 400 in 1988. people and what they value most – their These are no small achievements for a security, their aspirations, their needs, their country like the Maldives that confronts a set rights, their choices – at the centre of of unique challenges. development. It is this concern for people and their well being that constitutes the Nowhere else is the security of a people – and basis for the first National Human of a nation - so intimately tied to the wealth of Development Report for the Maldives. And its natural resources and the environment. this is the way human development is defined – as a process of expanding The very mention of the Maldives conjures choices, enhancing people’s capabilities, up images of remote, palm-fringed islands fulfilling rights and expanding freedoms. with white beaches, turquoise lagoons, submarine coral gardens and a breathtaking The Maldives has recorded some remarkable diversity of sea life. And this indeed