President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on Sunday afternoon, returned to Malé after concluding his visit to Ukulhas Island in the Alifu Alifu Atoll to hold the second edition of the "Viavathi Raajje" conference. The conference, held from May 28-29, 2022, aimed to strengthen further President Solih’s efforts to promote his decentralised governance system and ensure the fiscal and legal autonomy of local councils.
A sports festival was held Friday ahead of the conference for the attendees: government ministers and other senior officials; technical experts; local government officials; Women’s Development Committee (WDC) representatives; and the media. The two-day conference featured four sessions on a range of topics, including fiscal and legal autonomy, formulating land-use plans, the role of WDCs, and the future of decentralisation.
The conference was a platform for local government and WDC representatives to present to the President their ideas and concerns and discuss potential solutions. President Solih believes strongly in empowering local councils to make developmental decisions that affect them with the input of their respective constituents.
The "Viavathi Raajje" conference is held separately for three regions: the northern, central, and southern atolls. Local government and WDC representatives from the central atolls attended the conference held on Ukulhas Island.
