The government of Maldives concludes day one of the Maldives Partnership Forum 2019, held on June 17-18, at Kurumba Maldives.
The forum is designed to disseminate details of upcoming projects carried out under the government's 100-day pledges as well as projects relating to governance reform, blue economy, healthcare, education and housing will be shared with partner countries and institutions.
A total of three plenary sessions were on agenda at the Forum, with moderated discussions taking place with cabinet ministers as panellists.
DAY ONE
1. Macroeconomic and fiscal overview
Provided presentations by Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer and Minister of National Planning and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam on public finance and spatial mapping respectively.
2. Blue Economy - 'Addressing inclusivity and sustainability in economic development'
The session included a keynote address by Vice President Faisal Naseem on developing the social sector and a presentation on key policy interventions by Minister of Economic Development Consultant Shuhad Ibrahim.
3. Enhancing Social Outcomes - 'Enhancing Social Outcomes: Investing in healthcare, education and housing'
A presentation was delivered by Minister of Education Dr Aishath Ali, on key projects and programme areas.
DAY TWO
4. Building Robust Institutions - 'Addressing governance and Justice'
5. Partnering with the private sector for development - 'Partnering with the private sector for development'
Regrouping after lunch, Vice President Faisal Naseem gave his remarks before commencing forward with the third and final discussion of the day.
The Vice President emphasized that development cannot be measured on economic terms, stating that a country’s GDP per capita does not equate the level of social progress.
He iterated that development policies should treat human welfare with paramount importance.
Additionally, he stated that more must be done to ensure gender parity in all spheres, provide adequate and affordable housing to every Maldivian and ensure easy access to quality healthcare.
Over 60 delegates from 35 countries and 27 international organizations took part in the Forum.
Throughout the event, these delegations held various bilateral meetings with the cabinet Ministers and high level officials of the government.
Various foreign dignitaries have called on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during the sidelines of the Maldives Partnership Forum
During the evening, President Solih hosted a dinner in honour of the visiting delegations.