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The Global Environment Facility Council approved in December 2024 an exciting sustainable tourism initiative that will be led by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The ultimate goal of the iCOAST (Integrated Collaborative Approaches to Sustainable Tourism) program is to reduce pollution of water, soil, and air; reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses; reduce the over-consumption of natural resources, products, and materials; and reverse the tourism sector’s impact on biodiversity loss, while creating equitable livelihoods and jobs for local communities.

This week, the President of the Maldives, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom, opened a new GEF supported Integrated Water Supply System in the Maldives in a move to help protect the country’s freshwater resources. The new water system on Thoddoo Island will harness harvested rainwater and desalinated salt water to meet the domestic demands of the island, helping to protect the island’s limited freshwater supply by reducing the over-extraction of groundwater. The GEF-funded project has leveraged an additional US$ 1 million from the Government of the Maldives.