
UNDP Maldives
Our Team
The UNDP Resident Representative is the spokesperson for the UNDP Administrator in addition to being the head of the country office; responsible for UNDP policies and procedures.
We work closely with the Maldivian government and associated ministries in order to institute the UNDP Country Programme Document 2022-2026. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the government's coordinating agency, guides the associated programmes and action plans.
UNDP maintains strong partnerships with:
Civil society, non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations
Bilateral and multilateral partners
Private sector
The UN Country Team
Adnan Cheema (United Kingdom) is an international development professional with over 30 years of leadership experience across crisis, post-conflict, and development settings in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. He currently serves as the Resident Representative for UNDP in the Republic of Maldives.
Prior to this role, Adnan was the Deputy Resident Representative for UNDP in Myanmar. He has held several senior positions within UNDP, including Head of Sub-Office in Hodeidah, Yemen; Programme Manager of the $1.5 billion Funding Facility for Stabilization (FFS) in Iraq; and Programme Manager for Recovery and Peacebuilding portfolios in Sudan.
Throughout his career, Adnan has led strategic initiatives in development, recovery, and peacebuilding, working closely with multilateral donors, national governments, civil society organizations, and the private sector. He also previously served as Country Director for an international NGO, managing large-scale programmes focused on integrated development and climate adaptation.
He holds an MSc in Development Administration and Planning from the University of Bristol and a BA (Hons) in Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Pek Chuan Gan - Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Maldives
Pek Chuan GAN is a sustainable development practitioner with over 20 years of working experience in sustainability, environmental policy and governance in United Nations/UNDP, public and private sector.
Before joining UNDP Maldives, she was the Programme Specialist, Nature, Climate and Energy in 2022 – 2023 and Programme Analyst, Sustainable and Resilient Development in 2010 – 2022 with UNDP Multi-Country Office in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam. She has extensive experience providing policy advisory, partnership and knowledge exchange support to the public and private institutions in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam on climate change, biodiversity, nexus of food, water and energy, biodiversity and climate finance, green commodities, etc. and successfully established new partnerships with the Ministry of Finance Malaysia and sub-national governments targeting integrated and localized solutions for persistent and emerging development challenges.
Previously, she was an environmental consultant specializing in Due Diligence Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment, and also served as an Environmental Auditor in a multi-national automotive manufacturer. Pek Chuan holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Management from the National University of Malaysia and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Environment from the University Putra Malaysia.
Follow on LinkedIn and Twitter @PekChuanGan.