President Solih meets World Bank Country Director, Country Manager

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on Sunday, held a meeting with World Bank Country Director for Maldives Faris Hadad-Zervos and Country Manager Chiyo Kanda.

During the meeting held at the at the President’s Office, President Solih expressed gratitude for the World Bank's continued assistance over the previous 42 years. He highlighted that the organization had collaborated with the Maldivian government on over 32 projects which are collectively valued above USD 295 million.

Referring to the widespread economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on Maldives, the president noted the increased importance of the World Bank’s support amid the prevailing circumstances.

The World Bank was among the first financial institutions to extend COVID-19 relief assistance to Maldives and has continued to support project implementation, health sector preparedness, infrastructural resilience and disaster response mechanisms.

Ongoing collaborative efforts include initiatives in public finance, renewable energy, capacity-building, education, fisheries and human capital investment.

In response to President Solih's remarks, the World Bank delegation reiterated its readiness to support Maldives' efforts to achieve macro-fiscal objectives, enhance economic resilience, improve access to concessional financing and recover from the pandemic.

Commending the incumbent administration's track record over the past two years, the delegation expressed optimism regarding continued successes with regard to women’s empowerment and decentralization.

Country Director Hadad-Zervos further noted that the timing of the visit amid the uncertainties resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrated the World Bank' commitment to supporting the Maldives.

The meeting was also attended by Chief of Staff Ali Zahir, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer, Minister of State for Finance Ismail Ali Manik, Chief Resource Mobilization and Debt Management Executive at the Finance Ministry Mariyam Abdul Nasir, Foreign Relations Secretary Sabra Noordeen and World Bank country staff Shadiya Adam.