Regional environmental leaders to gather in Maldives for cleanup academy
The Maldives will host the World Cleanup Day Leaders Academy Asia 2026 in K. Himmafushi from 19 to 22 June, bringing together environmental leaders and stakeholders from countries across Asia and other regions.
The four-day programme will be organised by Let’s Do It World and Let’s Do It Maldives as a regional platform for collaboration on waste management, environmental sustainability and community mobilisation.
Representatives from more than 23 countries are expected to take part in the academy, including participants from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Palestine, Afghanistan, Sweden, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Brunei. Participants from Estonia, Sweden and Ukraine are also listed among those expected to attend.
The programme will focus on strengthening cooperation among national leaders, exchanging best practices and developing strategies to support World Cleanup Day 2026. It will also provide participants with opportunities to share reports from their respective countries and discuss approaches to expanding environmental action across communities.
According to the organisers, the academy is intended to build leadership capacity and translate regional cooperation into cleanup activities and waste-reduction initiatives ahead of World Cleanup Day in September.
The Maldives edition follows the 2025 Leaders Academy held in Singapore from 17 to 20 July. During that programme, participants shared country reports, exchanged good practices and presented examples of environmental initiatives.
Let’s Do It Maldives, established in 2018, works with communities, resorts, non-governmental organisations, schools and state institutions to promote sustainable waste management and responsible disposal practices.
The organisation said approximately 22,000 people have participated annually in its World Cleanup Day activities, with four to five tonnes of waste collected each year. It has worked with more than 75 local partners since launching its activities in the Maldives.
More than 20,000 people participated in World Cleanup Day activities across the Maldives in 2025, with the main national event held in B. Kamadhoo.
World Cleanup Day brings together volunteers in countries and territories around the world to remove waste and promote environmental responsibility. The United Nations recognised 20 September as World Cleanup Day in its international calendar from 2024.
