Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof has stated the government places a high priority on the development of local youth.
Speaking at the virtual ceremony held to inaugurate the Maldives Youth Camp 2020, Minister Mahloof said he is happy with the amount of programmes and projects undertaken for the youth since the current administration assumed office in 2018. As such, Mahloof said the government has facilitated numerous high education and training opportunities for the youth, as well as opportunities for young entrepreneurs to develop their businesses. He also noted thousands of job opportunities were created for the youth through joint efforts of several ministries and state institutions.
Speaking further, the minister highlighted the efforts undertaken by the government to take Maldivian sports to the next level. In this regard, he said the current government has undertaken record expenses for sports development through important projects such as the establishment of sports facilities and training programmes for athletes. He highlighted the achievements of Maldivian youth in recent international sporting events, particularly in the Indian Ocean Island Games held last year.
Furthermore, the youth minister said the government has brought important changes to the pay structure and prize money of national athletes, to establish gender parity. He also highlighted the programmes conducted to rehabilitate youth who become victims of drug abuse as well as programmes held to develop skills.
Minister Mahloof further stated the government is open for constructive feedback from the youth regarding issues which need to be addressed. Noting the government has established an environment where individuals can express their opinion and criticise any wrongdoings of the government without the fear of negative repercussions, the minister called on the youth to provide their opinion and ideas regarding matters which need to be addressed.
Maldives Youth Camp 2020 was officially kicked off by the Resident Representative of UNDP Maldives Akiko Fujii and Representative of UNICEF Maldives Dr. Munir Safeldin. The camp is part of the programmes planned under the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) of the government to empower youth and to increase the contribution of youth in resolving matters which involve them. The theme for this year’s camp is Youth, Peace and Security.