2025 Reports

Strengthening Local Climate Governance and Action in Male' City, Maldives

Chaudhuri, Anushree; Ziyath, Hussain; Byala, Seerat

The Maldives faces an urgent imperative to improve local climate governance in order to effectively adapt to the mounting threats posed by climate change. Centralized national action alone will not be sufficient given the heterogeneity of social, economic and environmental conditions across the different islands and atolls that make up the Maldives. By empowering local governments, communities and NGOs through regulatory reform, institutional capacity building and stakeholder participation, Male' City and the outer islands can develop and implement tailored solutions that meet their specific needs while contributing to national climate goals. With strong political will, adequate funding and the active involvement of civil society, the recommendations outlined in this case study could form the basis of a new decentralized approach to climate action in the Maldives. This will be an iterative and ongoing process, requiring constant evaluation, adaptation and improvement over time. But by working together at multiple levels of governance and across sectors, the Maldives can pave the way for solutions that promote resilience, equity and sustainability for years to come. For the vision of local empowerment to become reality, decisionmakers must take bold steps to share power, resources and information across levels of authority. If implemented well, decentralization can strengthen community engagement and accelerate progress toward a climate-resilient future for all communities within the Maldives.

Keywords: sea level rise, flooding, biodiversity loss, cyclones, ocean acidification