Shidhatha: Rejoining Commonwealth means more assistance for social needs, education

Maldives will receive further assistance for social needs and education once it successfully rejoins Commonwealth, says Minister of Gender, Family and Social Services, Shidhatha Shareef.

A delegation from the Commonwealth Secretariat is currently in Maldives to carry out an assessment following the country’s request to rejoin the international body.

The delegation met with Shidhatha at the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services headquarters last Friday night.

During the meeting, Shidhatha said Maldives was ready to rejoin Commonwealth, and reiterated the Maldivian administration’s commitment to working closely together with the international community.

She shared information on the current work by Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services to empower women, protect vulnerable groups and tackle social issues.

Shidhatha also shared information on the current gender ratio at the Cabinet and Parliament.

The new Maldivian Cabinet broke records when it was appointed on November 17, 2018. 7 out of 19 members of the Cabinet are women – making up for 35 percent of the total Cabinet. And it also marked the appointment of the first female Minister of Defense of Maldives.

Shidhatha noted the achievement of the Cabinet in minimizing gender disparity, but expressed concern over the low number of female representatives at the Parliament.

She expressed hope of seeing more female representatives at the new Parliament, which will be elected on April 6.