The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) through a grant facilitated by the government of Japan has donated several equipment to the Maldives Coast Guard.
The equipment were handed over during a special ceremony held on Wednesday afternoon at the site of Hulhumale' Coast Guard operations.
The ceremony was attended by Chief of Defense Force. Abdulla Shamaal, Vice Chief of Defense Force Abdul Raheem Abdul Latheef along with the UNODC Program Coordinator Pauline Rasmussen and the Japanese Ambassador to the Maldives Takeuchi Midori.
The equipment aid included items of relevance in maritime domain awareness, navigation and two rigid-inflatable boats (RIB).
At the ceremony, MNDF acknowledged the continued support by the Japanese government and UNODC. The Japanese government have donated equipment to Maldives' Coast guard in the past, in addition to conducting training initiatives as well.
Furthermore, during the ceremony memorial plaques between Maldives military and Japanese government were exchanged.