Male, Maldives (CU)_ During the third session of the Vivathi Raajje conference, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih urged the local councils to increase their help and support to strengthen the Women’s Development Committees (WDCs). The third session of the Vivathi Raajje conference was held in Ukulhas Island, Alif Alif Atoll, and was presided over by the President. This session aimed at the government’s initiatives to empower women, women’s inclusion, and the role of WDCs in society’s growth.
During the discussion, the President asked local councils to address the problem of inequitable working conditions, as complained by many WDCs. According to him, 77 meetings were held with local councils and members of WDCs in 2021, and one of the criticisms brought up during his discussions with some of the WDCs was the lack of assistance from local authorities.
The President also emphasized his government’s efforts to empower women. In December 2019, he passed amendments to the Decentralization Act assigning one-third of council seats to women, which led to the election of 388 women in local councils. In conjunction with the election of WDCs, the President declared that the role of women in development is expanding tremendously.
In addition to President Solih, the panel also included Mariya Ahmed Didi, Minister of Defense; Ibrahim Ameer, Minister of Finance; Aishath Mohamed Didi, Minister of Gender, Family and Social Services; Fathimath Afshan Latheef, Chief Executive Officer of the Local Government Authority (LGA); and Hisaan Hussain, Member of Parliament for the Thulhaadhoo constituency and member of the Parliamentary Committee on Decentralization.
Prior to the event, a presentation on Social Diversity and Climate Change Mitigation was given, which explained climate change and its negative consequences on small island nations, adaptation, and enhancing social diversity. The Viavathi Raajje conference was organized in Ukulhas Island and it focused on local council representatives and WDC presidents from the central atolls. Ministers, policy executives from the President’s Office, and technical specialists from several institutions also participated in the conference.
