The Malé City Council, in partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and ICLEI South Asia, convened a Stakeholder Consultation Workshop for the validation of a draft Voluntary Local Review (VLR) report on 17 July 2025 in Malé city.

Malé City is developing its first Voluntary Local Review report to track the city’s progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With this, Malé’ aims to drive national sustainability efforts to align local planning with theSDGs and inform Malé City’s Strategic Action Plan (2026–2030). The VLR will help identify data gaps, progress and challenges, and strengthen collaboration with national and international partners.  

ICLEI South Asia and UNESCAP are extending technical assistance to Malé (October 2024–June 2025) in the development of its VLR, the first island city in South Asia to do so. 

At the workshop, representatives from ICLEI South Asia and UNESCAP consultants presented the draft VLR report of Malé City Council (MCC) and worked with the Ministry of Finance and Planning, other government agencies, civil society, academia, youth groups, and technical experts to formulate practical recommendations for the target SDGs of Malé City Council.

The primary objectives of the workshop were:

1. To present the findings of the VLR for Malé City Council to the local stakeholders.
2. To explain the recommendations for Malé City Council under each SDG that is analysed in the VLR report.
3. To get feedback on the report and recommendations in it from the stakeholders.

The workshop was designed to be inclusive and participatory, reflecting the spirit of the VLR itself. During the session, the draft VLR was presented to a diverse group of stakeholders, including local and national government officials, NGOs, youth groups, civil society bodies, and academia—many of whom had also participated in the earlier consultation round in April 2025. Key findings and analysis from the report were shared, and participants engaged in open discussions around the proposed recommendations. 

The event was inaugurated on the first day by Adam Azim, Mayor, Malé City Council. The participants contributed valuable feedback, suggesting edits, additions, and refinements based on their local knowledge and expertise.The major recommendations for the various SDGs included: 

1.     Enhancing partnerships:

The need for MCC to build partnerships with other agencies who are working on similar issues and on SDGs. Local NGOs, institutes, national government agencies with common agendas and interests can be mapped by MCC for collaboration and sharing of responsibilities.  

2.     Data sharing and management

The need for national agencies with data to share information proactively with the MCC so that planning and development can be evidence based.

3.     Increasing financial allocations to SDGs through foreign investment support

Groups advocated for increasing foreign investment for activities that can support the achievement of localised SDG targets in Malé, when local and national government funding is not sufficient.

4.     Coordinating with existing national mechanisms instead of creating new systems

Participants highlighted the existence of data generation and management systems available at the national level. Suggestions included MCC’s  coordination with these national agencies to procure data at the city level along with national statistics to avoid duplication of effort and make the data collection and management cost-effective.

5.     Improving accessibility of services

All groups requested to include actions that can promote inclusivity and better access to municipal services, services related to education, healthcare, digital literacy, and skill development for all sections of society, including women, physically challenged and elderly population groups.  

These inputs will be incorporated into the final version of the VLR, which is scheduled to be launched in the coming months , ensuring that the report reflects not only reflects robust evidence but also the lived realities and aspirations of Malé’s citizens. It will present a clearer picture of Malé’s development status and provide actionable pathways to strengthen policy, partnerships, and public services in alignment with the SDGs.

The Stakeholder Validation Workshop marks a significant and meaningful step towards building a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Malé.