President His Excellency Dr Mohamed Muizzu recognised the need for increased productivity and capacity building to achieve long-term, inclusive economic growth at the Maldives' side event, "Building Productive Capacities in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)," at the UN.

Speaking at the event, the President acknowledged the Maldives' progress from a low-income to an upper-middle-income country, primarily due to the growth of the tourism sector. He further highlighted the challenges to overcoming the middle-income trap. To address this, President Muizzu called upon the international community to assist SIDS in diversifying their economies and expanding their productive capacity frameworks.

In his statement, the President proposed three key strategies to achieve the Ten-Year Programme of Action outlined in the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAs).

These strategies include:

• Technological Advancement: The President reaffirmed the Maldives’ commitment to facilitating access to global payment gateways, ensuring that the country is fully integrated into the global market.
• Resilient Infrastructure: The President revealed the Maldives' initiatives to upgrade infrastructure across key sectors, including transportation, energy, and digital connectivity, in order to access global supply chains and attract new investments.
• Evidence-Based Policy: This includes the Productive Capacities Index developed by UNCTAD. The President urged development partners to provide financial support for tools that help make informed policy decisions and drive economic change. He also invited UNCTAD and other relevant UN agencies to collaborate with the Maldives to identify country-specific policy interventions to boost productivity.

President Dr Muizzu concluded his keynote address by inviting panellists to recommend actionable steps for improving productive capacities and fostering innovation.

This side event was co-hosted by the Maldives, in collaboration with St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Source: https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/31666 

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, who is currently visiting New York to attend the 79th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, met with Maldivians residing in New York at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Maldives to the United Nations.

During the meeting, the President listened to the concerns of the Maldivians residing in the United States and inquired about their needs. He also asked about the challenges they were encountering and how the Government could assist them.

The President stated that the administration would always strive to progress by engaging in open dialogue and listening attentively to the people. He added that the Government is committed to developing policies that reflect the concerns and needs of the people.

Prior to the meeting, the President signed the guest book of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Maldives to the United Nations.

The newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Head of Mission of the Republic of the Maldives to the European Union, Geela Ali, presented her Letter of Credence to Charles Michel, the President of the European Council  this afternoon. The ceremony took place at the Europa Building in Brussels.

During the meeting that followed the ceremony, Ambassador Geela conveyed greetings from His Excellency President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to the President of the European Council and reflected on the existing friendly relations between the Maldives and the European Union. She also highlighted the conclusion of the first framework agreement, ‘Samoa agreement’, between the Maldives and the European Union and reiterated her commitment to further intensify cooperation between the Maldives and the European Union. 

President of the European Council, Charles Michel, congratulated the Ambassador on her appointment and welcomed the positive and growing momentum between the Maldives and the European Union.

Ambassador Geela was accompanied by Mohamed Shaffau Ibrahim, First Secretary and Hassan Nawaaf, Second Secretary at the Mission of the Republic of Maldives to the European Union.

ENDS