President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih called on the international community on Wednesday to renew their commitment to democracy, adding that democracy requires constant renewal, adaptation, and innovation and demands the active participation and commitment of everyone. Delivering his national statement at the 2nd "Summit for Democracy," hosted by H.E. Joseph R. Biden, the President of the United States of America, President Solih urged the international community to join forces to create a better future for both the present and future generations.
Highlighting the significant progress made by the Maldives since the first summit in 2021, President Solih described fiscal accountability and transparency as essential requisites to the effective functioning of a democracy. The President stated that his administration had proposed two amendments to legislation to ensure greater independence for local councils and strengthen public procurement policies and audit mechanisms. He added that the administration is working towards moving to performance-based budgeting.
In his statement, President Solih also noted that judicial reform is one of the priorities of his administration. The President said that public perception of the Maldives' judiciary has significantly improved over the past four years, with more swift and transparent court proceedings now in place. He added that an amendment to the Judicature Act had been proposed to parliament, which would enable the establishment of district courts and the circuit system, which would ensure greater efficiency and accessibility.
President Solih also highlighted his efforts to promote gender equality and ensure the inclusion of women in decision-making roles, describing it as one area in which his administration excelled. Over the past four years, the administration has appointed female justices to the Supreme Court, achieved parity in the Maldives' diplomatic representation abroad, and increased the number of women councillors in local government. The President noted that the administration's Gender Equality Action Plan of 2022 is a step towards increasing the representation of women in local government, corporate governance, the parliament, and the judiciary.
In his statement, President Solih also stressed the importance of a free and independent civil society for a properly functioning participatory democracy. Noting that threats to civil society organisations' safety are considered detrimental to an open society in the Maldives, the President stated that the administration-led Associations Act aims to empower civil society organisations financially by allocating more significant financial resources from the state. He added that with the introduction of an NGO portal, civil society organisations will have access to information and resources to increase their collective capacity.