President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom and First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim met with the delegation which represented Maldives at the South Asian Youth Summit 2017, at a ceremony held at Muliaage. During the meeting, the delegation presented the Best Country Award to the President.
Speaking during the meeting, President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom highlighted the important role played by youth in developing a nation. The President went on to thank the Maldivian delegation for having impeccably represented the Maldives and won the title of the best country title. The ceremony held at Muliaage was attended by Minister of Youth and Sports Iruthishaam Adam and officials of the Ministry.
The Maldivian delegation secured the title of the Overall Best Country of the summit, while the delegation head Aishath Raffiya won the title of Best Ambassador. The delegates who participated in the summit noted that Maldivian delegation achieved the title through united efforts and noted that the summit was a huge success.
The South Asian Youth Summit 2017 was held in the Indian city of Bhubaneswar from September 17-20, in which Maldives was represented by 34 youth delegates. Discussions at the summit were based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The cross cutting theme of South Asian Youth Summit 2017 was “Creating a Sustainable Future: Empowering Youth with Sustainable Opportunities”. The South Asian Youth Summit 2017 acted as a platform to increase the areas of cooperation in the field of youths for better ties and economic prosperity amongst the SAARC nations.