The 6th South Asia Constituency Meeting of Global Environmental Facility (GEF) was conducted in Maldives. The meeting was inaugurated by Dr. Mohamed Ali, Chief of staff of president’s office in a ceremony held in Nasandhura Palace Hotel on 15 May 2012.. Abdullahi Majeed, Deputy Minister for Housing and Environment welcomed the participants to the meeting and wished them a pleasant stay in Maldives. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony Dr.

A report on the quality of life for mothers around the world put Maldives in 45th place out of 80 developing countries.

The 13th Save the Children annual report, released on Tuesday, lists countries based on a range of UN and World Health Organization parameters such as life expectancy, maternity deaths, education, earnings, and maternity leave benefits.

The best country in the world overall to give birth and raise children in is Norway, followed by Iceland and Switzerland. The United States ranked 25th and the United Kingdom came in 10th.

A tsunami alert was issued in Maldives yesterday after Indonesia’s geophysical agency reported a powerful earthquake off Banda Aceh province.
Wednesday’s quake was measured at a preliminary 8.9-magnitude. The geophysical agency said it had not received reports of damage from Aceh quake or rise in water levels.
Tremors were felt in the capital Male’ and the islands. There were reports that high-rise buildings and offices Male’ and the islands shook for at least seven minutes.

MNDF has started providing emergency drinking water to those islands facing water shortages. MNDF is supplying water to those islands upon the request of the National Disaster Management Center (NDCM) and based on the schedule provided by NDMC.
In cooperation with the National Disaster Management Center, MNDF has already provided 164 tons of water to some Northern Area islands including three islands from Baa Atoll and two from Raa Atoll. Most recently, MNDF has provided 38 tons of drinkable water to R. Ungoofaaru last night.

The inception workshop on Second National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was held today at Nasandhura Palace Hotel.

In collaboration with State Trading Organization (STO), Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) and Bright Brothers (AGORA), Ministry of Housing and Environment is organizing a second phase of ‘No to Plastic Bags Campaign’ to be initiated today.

The Ministry of Housing and Environment and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has signed a project today to invest USD 8.5 million, towards an initiative that will bring fresh water to communities on the densely populated islands of Haa Alif Ihavandhoo, Alif Dhaalu Mahibadhoo and Gaafu Dhaalu Gadhdhoo, with a view on country-wide replication and upscaling in the future. The financial resources for this project come from the Adaptation Fund under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Speaking at the Ministerial segment of the 9th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Vienna Convention and the 23rd Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer held in Bali, 24-25 November, Minister of State Mr.

Government of the Maldives showcased its success story in ozone protection and achieving carbon neutrality in a side event organized by the Ministry of Housing and Environment of Maldives in cooperation with the OzonAction Programme of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 24th November 2011 in Bali, Indonesia.

This event was held during the 23rd Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer from 21 to 25 November 2011.

Thirty years after the first reported case of human infection with the HIV virus, the profile of HIV/AIDS is undergoing a transformation from a life-threatening emergency to a manageable chronic disease. New strategies and initiatives have ensured that fewer people are getting infected with the virus, and more infected people are getting treatment and living longer. On World AIDS Day 2011, WHO urges countries in South-East Asia to focus on eliminating the disease, particularly in children, by 2015.