Soneva Fushi has agreed to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Maldives.
An agreement was signed on Wednesday by Shoko Noda, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to the Maldives, and Sonu Shivdasani, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Soneva Group.
According to UNDP Maldives, the partnership will involve the support by both brands towards the promotion of climate change education, environment protection, women’s rights and empowerment, water security, water safety, waste management, renewable energy, and other causes germane to the Maldives.
“Hugely excited [about] the new partnership with @SonevaFushi. @UNDPMaldives looks [forward] to working with Sonu and his fantastic team for #SDGs,” Shoko said, in a tweet following the agreement signing.
The agreement with Soneva Fushi is part of UNDP Maldives’ Make My Island initiative, which involves inviting partners to invest and work together with the organisation to provide sustainable and localised development solutions for Maldivian communities.
The SDGs, otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
These 17 Goals build on the successes of the Millennium Development Goals, while including new areas such as climate change, economic inequality, innovation, sustainable consumption, peace and justice, among other priorities. The goals are interconnected – often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another.
The SDGs work in the spirit of partnership and pragmatism to make the right choices now to improve life, in a sustainable way, for future generations. They provide clear guidelines and targets for all countries to adopt in accordance with their own priorities and the environmental challenges of the world at large.
Established in 1995, Soneva Fushi is the original Soneva. The No News, No Shoes blueprint for all desert island barefoot luxury hideaways is located within the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Maldives. Soneva Fushi inspires the imagination with 65 spacious beachfront villas, ranging in size from one to nine bedrooms, hidden amongst dense foliage.
The iconic resort has bagged several international awards for eco-friendly tourism and green initiatives, including the 2017 Green Hotelier Award for the Asia Pacific region and the Sustainable Hotel Award by the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) as well as a spot in the Gold List compiled by Condé Nast Traveler China as the Best Hotel in the Maldives.