Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef has concluded a four-day official visit to Seville, Spain, where he attended the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), held from 30 June to 3 July 2025 under the auspices of the United Nations. His agenda was anchored in calls for substantive reform of the global financial framework, with particular emphasis on the structural challenges confronting Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Across the summit’s formal sessions, Vice President Latheef maintained a visible presence, engaging in the opening ceremony and a range of high-level meetings. He delivered a keynote address at the Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable on ‘Reforming the International Financial Architecture and Addressing Systemic Issues’, outlining the need for inclusive representation of SIDS in multilateral financial institutions. His remarks also highlighted the importance of sustainable debt strategies and urged a recalibration of international credit rating systems to account for disparities in scale and development.
Echoing this reformist platform, the vice president convened several Maldives-led side events that spotlighted government efforts to cultivate a resilient and inclusive economy. Initiatives presented included the newly launched ‘Muraka Insurance Initiative’, alongside targeted support for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), particularly those led by youth and women entrepreneurs.
His engagement in fiscal reform continued at the ‘Debt Sustainability Support Service’ event, organised on the margins of the conference. The session convened senior officials from national governments and representatives from United Nations agencies and institutions. In his intervention, Vice President Latheef reaffirmed the Maldives’ enduring support for the SIDS Debt Sustainability Support Service and committed to advancing its objectives through multilateral cooperation.
Capping the diplomatic visit, the Vice President attended formal banquets hosted by the king and queen of Spain and prime minister. Accompanying him throughout were senior government officials, who contributed to high-level discussions across the conference programme.