His Excellency Vice President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef has outlined three key priorities for building resilient Commonwealth partnerships, addressing the Executive Session II of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.
In his address, the Vice President identified strengthening institutional capacity and empowering people to lead, respecting national objectives and fostering self-reliance, and translating shared challenges into collective action as the three key priorities.
He stressed the importance of building lasting capacity beyond immediate needs, ensuring cooperation respects national interests and enables each member state to determine its own development path. He also called for greater collaboration through shared expertise, practical support and joint solutions to challenges ranging from climate resilience to digital transformation.
The Vice President noted that a stronger Commonwealth is one that enables every nation to build on its own strengths.
He reaffirmed the Maldives’ ambition to become a developed nation by 2040, highlighting the Government’s targets of developing a digital economy that contributes 15 per cent of GDP by 2030 and generating 33 per cent of the country’s energy from renewable sources by 2028.
Describing these goals as part of His Excellency President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s vision for a more resilient Maldives, the Vice President emphasised that the people, particularly young people, are both the driving force and beneficiaries of national development. He noted that investing in their skills, knowledge and opportunities is an investment in that vision.
He further observed that external challenges, including global supply chain disruptions and economic uncertainty, continue to constrain countries’ capacity to invest and achieve long-term development goals. He underscored the Commonwealth’s role in supporting national efforts through partnerships that strengthen resilience.