The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative to the Maldives, Dr. Edward Addai, has paid a courtesy call on First Lady Fazna Ahmed.

This meeting was held at the Official Residence of the President, Mulee'aage, on Thursday.

The First Lady welcomed Dr. Addai and expressed her gratitude to UNICEF for the guidance and continued support extended to the Maldives over the years in various areas related to children’s welfare, as protecting and promoting children’s rights in the Maldives is a top priority for this administration.

She outlined some of the joint efforts between the government and UNICEF to improve the conditions for children in the Maldives and stressed the need to step up these efforts and provide further support.

During the meeting, Dr. Addai outlined the current and future plans for carrying out the work undertaken in the Maldives to promote children's rights.

Further discussions took place in the areas of tackling mental health issues in youth, the need for good parenting, good nutrition and an active lifestyle, the welfare of children in state care, and community involvement in child-related issues.

The First Lady also shed light on the humanitarian assistance provided by UNICEF for the children in Gaza. She expressed gratitude for the efforts to help the children suffering in Gaza due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Dr. Addai gave the First Lady a token of appreciation and expressed appreciation for her work in the field and championing children’s welfare.