Maldives: UNODC, Government of Japan launch three-year project to strengthen maritime safety and security

Male, Maldives/08 March 2023: UNODC and the Government of Japan have joined hands to tackle blue crime in the Maldives, with the launch of a new three-year project aimed at strengthening maritime safety and security.  Supported by the Government of Japan, the project will provide comprehensive assistance to the Government of the Maldives in effectively detecting, investigating, and prosecuting cases of drug trafficking, crimes in the fisheries sector, and crimes affecting the marine space.

On 08 March, an Exchange of Notes ceremony was organized by UNODC with the Embassy of Japan in the Maldives, to formally launch the project.

In addition to expanding UNODC's portfolio on blue crime in the Maldives, the project will also provide assistance to local authorities in ensuring human rights-based detention of those sentenced under such offenses. The initiative will also aim at strengthening institutional responses to effectively prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism by strengthening communities' resilience and providing comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration support.

The Maldives, an archipelago of 26 atolls located in the Indian Ocean, has been grappling with the issue of blue crime for several years. With the majority of its population living in coastal areas, the Maldives is particularly vulnerable to crimes in the fisheries sector, drug trafficking, and other crimes affecting the marine space.

The project seeks to address these issues by providing the necessary tools and resources to local authorities to effectively combat these crimes. This will be carried out with a wide range of activities, including capacity-building for law enforcement agencies, training for prosecutors and judges, and the development of a legal framework to address blue crime. It will also focus on raising awareness among the general public about the dangers of blue crime and the need to report suspicious activities to the authorities.

This activity contributed to SDG 16: https://sdg-tracker.org/

(Supported by the Government of Japan)