Speakers' Summit concludes with adoption of Male' Declaration

The fourth South Asian Speakers' Summit on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals drew to a conclusion on Monday.

The summit organized jointly by the Parliament of Maldives and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) ended with the adoption of the Male' Declaration.

As per the declaration, three issues of particular importance were debated on during the summit, the first of which was promoting equality at work including equal remuneration and creating jobs for young people.

The second issue discussed regarded nutrition and food security as drivers of maternal, child and adolescent health in the South Asian region.

Catalyzing the global agenda on climate change – overcoming challenges and using opportunities to strengthen the regional agenda for delivering on the Paris Agreement was the third issue addressed.

The visiting delegates and Parliament Speaker of Maldives, former President Mohamed Nasheed, visited Rasdhoo, Alif Alif Atoll on a field trip as part of concluding the summit.

This summit is held annually since the first iteration was held in Bangladesh in 2016 with the speakers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.