The governments of Maldives and Japan have signed an exchange of notes, under which Japan is to provide scholarships for 24 Maldivian students.
During a ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday evening, the Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla signed the exchange of notes on behalf of the government of Maldives while Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives Keiko Yanai signed them on behalf of the Japanese government.
The exchange of notes on the project for Human Resource Development Scholarship, was signed with a view to boost the friendly and cooperative relations between both countries further.
Under the terms of the exchange of notes, Japan will provide scholarships for six students from the island nation each year, for a period of four years.
The signing of the exchange of notes today, under the Japanese government project for human resource development to provide a grant aid of 108 million Japanese Yen for the interaction of scholarship opportunities in order to strengthen the human resource capacity of Maldives, is yet another symbol of the strong ties between the Maldives and Japan. The project will fund scholarships for six Maldivian students every year for the next four years. One of the key priorities of the Maldivian government has been the human resource development of the country. Over the years, Japan has played an important role in this area, in particular the short term training opportunities provided by JICA, have contributed immensely towards the human resource development in the Maldives and I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to JICA for the invaluable cooperation. The scholarships offered by the Japanese government today, would contribute immensely in our efforts.”Abdulla Shahid, Maldives Foreign Minister
During the ceremony, FM Shahid expressed sincere appreciation to the government and people of Japan, having highlighted that the opportunity will provide immense contribution towards the country’s human resource development.
As part of its assistance to support the Maldives government’s response efforts against the global Covid-19 pandemic, Japan also provided a grant of USD 356,400 for UNICEF Maldives and USD 185,000 for Maldivian Red Crescent.
Further, it also provided a USD 1.4 million grant to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Maldives in support of small and medium enterprises in agri-businesses affected by COVID-19.
Japan has always been a consistent partner of Maldives and has generously contributed to the social, educational and environmental sectors of the island nation.
