Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts Ibrahim Waheed has stated that the members of the Presidential Youth Advisors board will have the opportunity to work closely with the President.
At a press conference, Minister Waheed said a large number of young people are interested in joining the prestigious board and that the most significant advantage of the board is that the members will work directly with the President, who will preside over the quarterly meetings. He said the decisions made by the Youth Advisors board will be submitted to the Cabinet for discussion.
Additionally, Minister Waheed said that board members will have the opportunity to represent the Maldives abroad, especially on environmental issues. He added that individuals aged 18-30 will be chosen as board members, detailing that the government decided on age 30 as the cut off point as people 30-35 already have numerous opportunities to join social and political activities.
On December 25, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu announced the decision to establish the Presidential Youth Advisor board to advise the President on youth-related topics and include the opinions and aspirations of youngsters in formulating government policy. This decision followed discussions on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information, and Arts at a Cabinet meeting.
The Presidential Youth Advisors board will comprise 15 members ranging from 18 to 30 years of age. The board will be formed twice during a presidential term to encourage more young people to join the board. However, as students pursuing higher education and members appointed to the board by the university's Student Council are appointed based on their position in the Student Council/Executive Committee, it has been decided that these members’ tenure will be one year.
The secretariat of the board of the Presidential Youth Advisors will be managed by the youth ministry.