Foreign Secretary Ahmed Latheef has participated in the 15th Bali Democracy Forum.

Foreign Secretary Latheef participated in the forum, virtually, on Thursday.

Hosted by the government of Indonesia, the forum was held in a hybrid format in Bali, Indonesia and revolved around an all-embracing theme, “Democracy in a Changing World: Leadership and Solidarity.”

During the forum, Latheef took part in the panel discussion regarding the democratic responses to fair and equitable access for global public goods where he spoke about the significance of strengthening leadership, solidarity, and democratic processes to ensure fair and equitable access to global public goods for all.

Latheef went on to shed light on the efforts by the incumbent administration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, to grant access to public goods for the whole population, especially in the situation of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

As such, he highlighted the inception of the national vaccination program “Covid-19 Dhifaau” for the entire population, which aims at vaccinating everyone residing in the archipelago nation regardless of nationality or legal status.

Further, Latheef touched upon the need for recognizing the natural environment and energy resources as public goods and noted that the government is consolidating democratic values, such as inclusivity and accountability, to put in place effective responses to climate change.

Latheef went on to state that the government is introducing innovative technologies in the fisheries and agricultural sectors to ensure greater food security in the Maldives.

An annual international forum held in Bali, Indonesia, the Bali Democracy Forum was incepted in 2008 with an aim to encourage dialogue on advancing regional and global cooperation in the areas of peace and democracy.

It also brings together senior government officials and relevant organizations to share valuable best practices and lessons acquired on building democratic societies.