The Government is working to establish a Women’s Caucus that will connect island-level Women’s Development Committees (WDCs) with atoll, regional and national policy-making platforms, Minister of Health, Family and Welfare Geela Ali has said.

Speaking at the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women in Islamabad, Minister Geela highlighted the Maldives’ efforts to increase women’s participation in leadership, governance and economic development.

She said 37 per cent of elected councilors in the Maldives are women, noting that the Government is focusing on preparing more women for leadership roles through initiatives such as “Taking the Lead: Women in Politics” and the “Practice Parliament for Women” programme.

The minister also highlighted efforts to promote gender equality within institutions through the Maldivian Gender Equality Model (MGEM) and the development of Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) to ensure gender considerations are reflected in national planning and resource allocation.

Speaking on women’s economic empowerment, Minister Geela said the Government is providing financial support and training opportunities for women entrepreneurs. She noted that through the MVR 100 million loan scheme operated via SME Digital and a special leasing facility for women, more than MVR 17.8 million has been disbursed to 82 women entrepreneurs as of April this year.

She added that consultation sessions have been held with more than 275 women entrepreneurs from different regions to better understand their economic challenges.

The minister further highlighted ongoing measures to address gender-based violence and domestic violence, including healthcare reforms, the youth awareness programme “Eku Ekee”, training for judges and caseworkers, and the development of media guidelines for reporting sensitive cases.

Concluding her remarks, Minister Geela acknowledged challenges in strengthening institutional capacity and resources to achieve gender equality, while stressing the importance of greater cooperation among OIC member states to address these challenges.