President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has arrived in Gan, Laamu Atoll, to hold the third Viavathi Raajje.
The conference is a series of meetings hosted by President Solih in order to strengthen the decentralisation system in light of the previous year’s experience of collaborating with relevant stakeholders. The third conference of Viavathi Raajje will include city council mayors, island council presidents, and presidents of women’s development committees (WDCs) from the southern atolls of the Maldives, which include Dhaalu Atoll, Thaa Atoll, Laamu Atoll, Gaafu Alifu Atoll, Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, Fuvahmulah City and Addu City. The president is joined at the conference by government ministers, parliamentarians of the southern atolls, policy executives from the President’s Office, and technical experts from various institutions including state-owned enterprises. Over 270 individuals will be participating in this conference, along with 107 council members and WDC representatives, according to the President's Office.
The two-day conference will feature four sessions with presentations and discussions on a variety of topics, including gender equality, the formulation of land-use plans, fiscal autonomy of local councils, and social welfare. The sessions will allow the council and WDC members from the southern atolls to directly present their concerns to the President and collaborate on solutions with relevant parties.
Meanwhile, the participants of the Viavathi Raajje conference took part in the sports festival held at the Laamu Gan Zone Stadium and the beach area of the island. President Solih kicked off the sports festival and participated in the activities organised as an icebreaker for conference attendees. The participants were divided into teams, and the activities included beach volleyball, obstacle runs, and other sports that were meant to foster cooperation amongst the attendees. government ministers, members of the Local Government Authority (LGA), representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), technical experts, along with officials from local governments participated in this event.
President Solih signed the eighth amendment to the Decentralisation Act into law on December 15, 2019, at the first edition of the Viavathi Raajje conference, authorising more fiscal and legal autonomy for local councils.