Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology Aminath Shauna has said the government is in the process of installing solar PV hybrid systems in more than 60 islands, as part of its drive to reach net-zero emissions by 2030.
In her statement at the Second Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the environment minister said the Maldives has one of the highest levels of internet penetration in the region and that the country has prioritised digital transformation as a key foundation of building better from the COVID-19 pandemic. The minister said the government plans to establish a modern government technology agency to drive the digital transformation of the nation under its national resilience and recovery plan.
Shauna said the government has prioritised quickly move all service applications and delivery online and that a national ID payment system using a digital ID will drive tech development, government front-office automation, and establishment of government data and applications. She also said establishing key legislation to enable a digital transaction to protect data privacy are on the government's agenda for the next two years. Healthcare and national care service digitisation is central to building national resilience and delivering harmonised health and social services across the many island communities, she added.
Furthermore, Minister Shauna highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have affected the Maldives and said that ensuring environmental sustainability is vital to preparing for and mitigating the impact of such a crisis. The minister noted the government has declared its intention to reach net-zero emissions by 2030 and pledged to designate at least one reef, one mangrove, and one uninhabited island in each of the 20 atolls of Maldives as protected areas. She also noted the government's implementation of a single-use plastic phase-out plan to ban the import, production, and consumption of certain single-use plastics into the Maldives and promote the use of sustainable alternatives.