European Union (EU) has pledged financial assistance of USD 2.5 million to improve the standards of the Maldivian prisons and to support the efforts to combat terrorism.
Speaking during the Maldives Partnership Forum 2019, Ambassador of EU to the Maldives Tung-Lai Margue revealed the organisation decided to assist Maldives after admiring the transparent policy prioritised by the administration.
Noting EU will work together with Maldives in its efforts to combat terrorism, extremism and corruption, the ambassador said the organisation has decided to provide financial assistance towards the efforts. In this regard, he assured EU have pledged a finance of USD 2.5 million to assist in improving standards of prisons, adding paperwork of the initiation will be finalised in the coming days.
While EU expressed interest to assist in improving standard of prisons of Maldives, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) have also decided to provide funds for the project. The financial assistance to improve the prisons come in the wake of the initiation by the Government of Maldives following the Prisons Audit Report 2019.
Conducting an audit on Maldivian prisons and detention facilities is a pledge included in the first 100-day pledges of the government.