The government is set to host the “Maldives Partnership Forum 2019”, the largest multilateral gathering of international development partners, in June.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday revealed that the forum themed around “Investing in a Resilient and Sustainable Maldives”, will kick off at Kurumba Resort from 17-18 June. Co-hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and Minister of Finance, Ibrahim Ameer, the forum will be inaugurated by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Last held in 2009, this year’s forum will be showcasing the democratic journey of Maldives, highlight key development challenges and share the government’s plans to move ahead and leverage assistance where required, with partners.
The ministry via a statement revealed that the forum will bring together bilateral partner countries and international organizations, and other entities to deliberate on the Jazeera Raajje or “island nation” concept as well as to discuss the Government’s development agenda.
It will enable to foster greater engagement with the international community, to establish partnerships with bilateral countries and international organizations to address the myriad of challenges facing the Maldives as well as to seek their support to both finance and assist in implementing economic, social and governance related projects.
It has been revealed that five panel discussions will take place during this year’s forum, all focusing on the most important and pertinent areas for the government to seek the support of the international community.
The five panel discussions will be:
1. Macroeconomic and fiscal overview, which will provide information on the present economic and fiscal situation in the country, including public expenditure management,
2. Blue Economy: addressing inclusivity and sustainability in economic development,
3. Enhancing Social Outcomes: investing in healthcare, education, but also focusing on culture, youth and gender issues,
4. Building Robust Institutions: addressing governance and justice and
5. Partnering with the private sector for development – on how the private sector can play a part in the Government’s development agenda.
While a vast majority of Maldives bilateral and multilateral agencies are scheduled to participate in the discussions and provide support for the country’s national development agenda, the forum will also provide a platform for key government ministers and policy-makers to inform the international community of the development agenda and the upcoming “National Development Plan”.
It will also help pursue the objectives of the government’s key pledges through greater collaboration and resource mobilization.
Further, the ministry revealed that a number of agreements are expected to be signed at the end of the forum and a number of projects with the aim of establishing long-term partnerships towards their eventual implementation have already been formulated and shared with relevant partners from all ministries.
The Partnership Forum, one of the key pledges in President Solih’s 100-day agenda, is a collaborative and inclusive effort undertaken by the government as a whole, involving all the ministries and a number of agencies.
