A workshop attended by state ministers, deputy ministers, permanent secretaries, directors and other high-level government officials of Maldives was conducted on 24 January 2019 at Champa Central Hotel in Malé to discuss how to address the identified challenges of the Maldives' statistical system.
Opening remarks were given by Mr. Mohamed Aslam, Minister of National Planning and Infrastructure, who indicated that proper national development planning cannot be done without verified, validated and accurate information. Minister Aslam shared specific examples of when he has personally used statistical information and emphasised the importance of the National Bureau of Statistics (NSB), stating “nothing could be done without data”.
In compliance with the directive of Minister Aslam, NSB started taking steps towards the co-ordinated development of the statistical system in the Maldives. On 28-29 January, a workshop on the Advanced Data Planning Tool (ADAPT) was held to compile and monitor the Sustainable Development Goal Indicators. This also served as preparation for the formulation of the national indicators, which will coincide with the national development plan that is expected to be finalised around August 2019.