President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has inaugurated the Viavathi Raajje conference in Ukulhas, Alifu Alifu Atoll. He arrived on the island on May 27 to hold the conference from May 28-29.
President Solih invited city council mayors, island council presidents, and presidents of Women’s Development Committees (WDCs) from the central atolls for the second edition of the conference, which will focus on further refining the administration’s decentralisation system and boosting efforts by the president to empower local councils and WDCs. He is joined at the conference by government ministers, policy executives from the President’s Office, and technical experts from various institutions.
President Solih signed the eighth amendment to the Decentralisation Act into law in 2019, at the first edition of the Viavathi Raajje conference, authorising more fiscal and legal autonomy for local councils. He is hosting the second edition of the meeting in Ukulhas, the first to be held following the amendment’s ratification. The conference seeks to provide the opportunity to review the existing structures and find avenues for improvement. It also offers an opportunity for the administration to confer its policies to ensure good governance.
The two-day conference features four sessions with presentations and discussions on various topics, including fiscal and legal autonomy, formulating land-use plans, the role of WDCs, crime prevention, social welfare, and climate resilience. It also allows the council and WDC representatives to present their concerns to President Solih and discuss solutions.
Furthermore, President Solih participated in the sports festival held ahead of the Viavathi Raajje conference, at the main beach of Ukulhas. It was organised as an icebreaker for the conference attendees. The festival’s activities included beach volleyball, tug-of-war, and penalty shootout.
