Addressing the key note at the opening ceremony of the first International Conference held by Maldives National University, Theveli 2017, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohamed Asim has stated that the development story of Maldives can provide lessons for the world. The progress Maldives has made in its development path, and the ways in which the Maldives has been able to achieve internationally agreed development goals, were important areas where research is needed, added the Foreign Minister Mohamed Asim. Minister Asim noted that these findings would yield important lessons for the world, as well as information on potential challenges that still exist in the Maldives.
Looking at the international context, Minister Asim also noted that small island states like Maldives are understudied, yet the unique approaches adopted by these islands to ensure sustainability and pursue sustainable development can be useful to replicate. In this regard, minister stated that island states could act as knowledge hubs, and incubators for innovation as these small island states can and have produced smart, shared solutions for the global problems facing the world today. On the closing note minister Asim highlighted the importance of inter-disciplinary research as these researches would allow seeing to situations through multiple lenses giving a broader perspective to the issue.
Theveli 2017, is an International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research being held in the Maldives from October 2 to 3 under the theme, Towards a sustainable society.