Maldives makes rallying call for a digital future for SIDS

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu Wednesday called upon the international community to join hands in navigating towards a future where SIDS flourish in the digital age.

He made these remarks in his keynote address at the “Smart Maldives: Journey towards a digitally inclusive community” side-event held at the SIDS4 conference.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Housing, Land and Urban Development, the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology, and the National Centre for Information Technology.

Noting that the Maldives is in the process of transforming into a digital economy, the President called for international cooperation, investments, and partnerships to support this transformation.

Speaking in this regard, President Dr. Muizzu highlighted the Maldives' pursuit of targeted investments to advance innovation and technology. He further noted the need for technical assistance to the Maldives to create and implement strict consumer protection laws, rules, and regulations aligned with regional and international best practices.

The President also emphasised the importance of support for inclusive participation in regional and international standard-setting negotiations, as well as fair representation in shaping the digital economy.

Highlighting the government's commitment to achieving SDGs, President Muizzu underscored that the Maldives continuously invests in building digital citizens who are well equipped for the age of Artificial Intelligence and “Big Data.”

President Muizzu further underlined the government's commitment to introducing new digital services that will benefit all residents of the Maldives. He expressed the government's intention to demonstrate to the international community, the results of the Maldives’ resilience and strong determination that despite the challenges constantly faced, it is possible to overcome them and bridge the limitations.

“We have navigated treacherous currents, faced tempests of doubt, and charted our course through uncharted waters. But it is in our vulnerability—the soft sands of our limitations—that resilience takes root. Just as an island withstands the relentless tides, we too must rise above self-imposed boundaries,” the President concluded.