Minister of State for Youth, Sports, and Community Empowerment Hussain Ismail has stated a peaceful society requires active participation from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). He made the remarks at the closing ceremony of the CSO forum held in Hinnavaru, Lhaviyani Atoll.
Speaking at the ceremony, State Minister Ismail said establishing and maintaining peace in society is as important as developing the nation. As such, he said the ministry is working to strengthen the role of CSOs in helping communities and providing solutions to the issues they face in their work.
Also at the ceremony, the Registrar of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Ahmed Irash praised CSOs for their work and vowed that the ministry will provide solutions for the problems they have addressed at the forum.
The forum in Hinnavaru was held for CSOs active in Noonu Atoll, Raa Atoll, Baa Atoll, and Lhaviyani Atoll. A total of 34 members from 33 CSOs participated in the forum, which was held from December 8-12. The participants were also presented with commemorative gifts at the closing ceremony. The purpose of the forum is to empower and expand the work of CSOs in the area of community development and to increase public awareness of their work.
The youth ministry conducted the seminar in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Maldives Police Service (MPS), the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.