Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Community Empowerment has held the second edition of the Civil Society Organisation (CSO) forum in Hinnavaru, Lhaviyani Atoll.
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 second edition of the forum is being held for CSOs active in Noonu Atoll, Raa Atoll, Baa Atoll, and Lhaviyani Atoll.
The opening ceremony of the forum was inaugurated by the CEO of the Local Government Authority (LGA) Fathimath Afshan Latheef. A total of 34 members from 33 CSOs are participating in the forum, which is being held from December 8-12.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Afshan highlighted the efforts of the government to provide more power and responsibility to local councils in accordance with its decentralisation policy. Afshan said CSOs have a major role in the work being done by local councils for the development of the islands. Therefore, she called on all CSOs to participate in discussions with island residents and work with the councils for local development. She also noted that CSOs are the voice of the people as they work closely with island residents and said that her wish is to increase their participation in development projects.
Also at the ceremony, Registrar of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) Ahmed Irash said the main purpose of the forum is to strengthen the network of CSOs active in the atolls. He said strengthening the network will make the work of CSOs much easier and allow them to work on larger projects.
The youth ministry is conducting the seminar in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Maldives Police Service (MPS), the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Ministry of Islamic Affairs, and the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM).