Maldives Launches Thayyaaru Project to Strengthen Disaster Preparedness
The launch ceremony was attended by representatives from the Chinese Embassy, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, MMS, and UNDP Maldives. | Photo credit: UNDP Maldives
A new initiative aimed at enhancing the Maldives’ disaster preparedness and early warning capabilities, titled Thayyaaru, was officially launched yesterday.
The launching ceremony brought together representatives from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Maldives, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, Maldives Meteorological Services (MMS), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Maldives.
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The Maldives, with a population of over half a million spread across 187 small islands, is highly vulnerable to climate change. The country is increasingly affected by extreme weather events, including monsoonal flooding, sea surges, coastal erosion, and prolonged dry periods leading to water shortages. Existing limitations in meteorological infrastructure have constrained the MMS’s ability to deliver timely and accurate alerts, leaving communities exposed to growing risks.
In response, the Thayyaaru project—supported through UNDP’s South-South Cooperation platform in partnership with the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA)—aims to improve the country’s climate resilience. It will expand and upgrade the national meteorological observation network, improve maintenance of Automated Weather Stations and radar systems, pilot advanced forecasting technologies, and introduce gender-responsive communication tools and digital platforms to ensure communities receive timely alerts.
“This project will strengthen disaster preparedness and ensure timely and effective early warning systems, aligning with both the Early Warning for All (EW4All) initiative and national mandates to strengthen community resilience against climate-induced challenges,” said Honourable Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Tourism and Environment, speaking at the event.
China’s Ambassador to the Maldives, His Excellency Kong Xianhua, described the initiative as the first China-UNDP-Maldives tripartite cooperation project. “As a global leader in addressing climate change and advancing meteorological disaster forecasting and early warning, China has fully funded this initiative through collaboration between CIDCA and UNDP under the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund,” he said. “China remains firmly committed to supporting global efforts in meteorological disaster prevention and reduction.”
The project is designed to ensure early warning systems are not only technologically robust but also inclusive and accessible to the most at-risk populations, including women and marginalised communities.
UNDP Resident Representative in the Maldives, Enrico Gaveglia, highlighted the relevance of international partnerships in addressing climate-related challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS). “Like many other SIDS, the Maldives has been struggling to access climate finance. Global platforms for development assistance often prove to be overly bureaucratic and fall short in addressing the climate emergency,” he said. “The multilateral cooperation and key partnership that UNDP has developed with CIDCA exemplify why such cooperation remains relevant in the Asia Pacific Region.”The Thayyaaru project marks a significant step towards improving the Maldives’ resilience to climate-related disasters through more inclusive and effective early warning systems.
