Technology was required to establish a resilient society: Minister Shauna
The world, and the Maldives, had become reliant on technology for development
Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Aminath Shauna, giving her remarks at the World Government Summit
Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Aminath Shauna has stated that technology is required to establish a resilient society, and that it extends beyond digital education.
Minister Shauna made the remarks during her speech at the World Government Summit, on Wednesday.
In her speech, Minister Shauna noted how reliant the world, and the Maldives, had become on technology for development, and highlighted the administration’s transformation process to a digital identification system.
She said that technology should be utilized in adaptation strategies to monitor what was happening to Maldives’ coast and coral reefs by using drone and satellite technology to gather data, and then utilize this information to make evidence-based decisions. Highlighting that Maldives is a small state, Minister said that Maldives is an excellent area to test innovative technologies that could be scaled up in the future since .
Minister Shauna, in her speech noted that she had identified a lack of focus on quality as an urgent problem and said that not enough analyses were being done to identify whether the appropriate skills required to meet new challenges were being fostered in younger generations. She highlighted the need for support and collaboration from partners in an effort to reach the next level.
Moreover, the Minister shared the challenges faced by the Maldives in providing high-quality healthcare and education because the country is very geographically scattered. She said that, because there are no economies of scale, it was critical to build a resilient country that could adapt to climate change. Minister Shauna reiterated that resilience was about investing in people and preparing younger generations for future impact.
Sharing Maldives' experience with Covid-19, the Minister reflected on how Covid-19 was a significant turning point for healthcare provision in the Maldives and stated that the Government’s decentralization policy protected the Maldives from major pitfalls during the global pandemic.
A high-level Maldivian delegation, led by Vice President Faisal Naseem attended the World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
