News Desk
Male’, Maldives — The First Lady, Sajida Mohammed, inaugurated the “Women’s Forum” workshop today, convened by the Ministry of Cities, Local Government and Public Works, the two-day forum seeks to strengthen the Women’s Development Committees (WDCs), local bodies created under the 2010 Decentralization Act to boost women’s roles in community governance. These committees, active on every inhabited island, have long grappled with limited funding and authority despite their mandate to shape local development. Running through April 30, the workshop, a pivotal moment for advancing gender equality in the Maldives, focuses on financial empowerment, leadership training, and ways to amplify women’s voices in decision-making.
The Maldives has made strides toward gender equality. A 2016 amendment to the Decentralization Act reserved 33 percent of local council seats for women, leading to 389 women elected to councils—a big leap for women empowerment. Women now make up nearly 40 percent of local councils. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration has made women’s development a cornerstone of its community progress agenda.
The forum’s schedule is packed. Over two days, participants will dive into sessions on financial management, leadership skills, and tackling institutional barriers. A key focus is economic empowerment, with talks on accessing small and medium enterprise loans—40 percent of which are now set aside for women, youth, and people with disabilities through the Development Finance Corporation. Adam Shareef, the minister of cities, local government and public works, stressed practical fixes, like better coordination between remote atolls and the central government in Malé.
The Decentralization Act, which reshaped governance by empowering local councils, was a milestone. President Muizzu has vowed to build on it, signaling a deeper commitment to inclusive development.
For the women here, the forum is more than a meeting; it’s a chance to reshape their islands’ futures.
