LocationsKulhudhuffushi City in the Maldives pioneers anticipatory and people-centered governance for inclusive and sustainable local development
October 15, 2025
Site visit to the plant nursery in Kulhudhuffushi.
Kulhudhuffushi City Council, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Maldives and UNDP’s Bangkok Regional Hub, launched an initiative to advance inclusive and sustainable local development in Kulhudhuffushi, the most populous island in the northern Maldives. As part of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and UNDP’s joint efforts to localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the Asia-Pacific region, the initiative focuses on enhancing local governance capabilities to achieve inclusive and forward-looking development planning, improve public service delivery, and facilitate sustainable outcomes for local communities.
Marking the kick-off of the initiative, a two-day in-person training workshop was held from 8 to 9 September 2025 at the Northern Office Complex in Kulhudhuffushi City, Haa Dhaalu Atoll. The workshop brought together twenty-six technical officers from both the national and local governments, including the Kulhudhuffushi City Council (KFCC), the Local Government Authority (LGA), and the Ministry of Cities, Local Government, and Public Works (MCLP), to collaborate and co-create pathways for integrating anticipatory and people-centered, innovative governance practices that include systems thinking, data-driven planning, co-creation, and portfolio design into local development planning processes.
Group discussion during the SIP training.
The training introduced the Social Innovation Platform (SIP) to the participants. This systems approach, developed by UNDP and its partners, supports local development by incorporating diverse voices of society, addressing local realities, and placing communities at the center of public decision-making. Initiated by UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub in selected locations in 2019, SIP has supported over 500 villages and communities in Indonesia, Pakistan, and Thailand in advancing community-driven practices to foster inclusive and participatory village planning, local economic development, and sustainable food system development. Since 2024, ADB and UNDP have partnered to scale SIP in Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, and the Philippines, under the ADB-UNDP Initiative on SDG Localization.
Participants presenting group work on systems mapping.
The training highlighted the demand at the local level for bottom-up and innovative approaches to development. The SIP approach offers an alternative pathway to local development—one that moves beyond expert-driven processes, empowers local communities in decision-making, and places people at the center of development efforts. By embedding systems-based, forward-looking perspectives into development processes, the SIP tools help address persistent governance gaps, including short-term planning, siloed sectoral approaches, and weak multi-level coordination.
Participants exercising SIP tools.
Following the training, the first iteration of the deep listening exercise was launched by the KFCC-LGA-MCLP-UNDP joint task force through a five-day fieldwork. The task force reached out to over 100 stakeholders, including local farmers, business owners, religious leaders, youth and women’s groups, as well as public institutions such as the regional hospital and public schools. The exercise delved into stories, perceptions, challenges, and aspirations within the local community, enabling an in-depth understanding of the local reality. Notably, the deep listening exercise complements traditional consultations by amplifying the voices of marginalized and vulnerable groups, such as women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, thereby bridging the gaps in community engagement and bringing diverse stakeholders together. The insights captured lay the foundation for co-creating solutions that will inform the next local planning cycle, supporting a more resilient, prosperous, and inclusive urban future of Kulhudhuffushi.
Deep listening exercise with local farmers at Kulhudhuffushi’s Saturday Market.
UNDP remains committed to supporting the Maldives and more countries in enhancing local governance to facilitate inclusive, participatory, and sustainable local development. Alongside Dhangadhi in Nepal, Haryana in India, Malay in the Philippines, and Dhaka in North of Bangladesh, Kulhudhuffushi demonstrates how anticipatory and people-centered local governance can shape a future where communities feel a sense of belonging, are able to shape their future, and can thrive together.
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