Japan and the Maldives have signed the Exchange of Notes on the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship.
The Exchange of Notes was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and the Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives Keiko Yanai, during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 5. Under the terms of the Exchange of Notes, the government of Japan shall provide scholarships for six Maldivian students per year for a period of four years.
Minister Shahid expressed sincere appreciation to the government and the people of Japan and noted that the scholarships will provide immense contribution towards the human resource development of Maldives. He noted Japan has always been a consistent partner of the Maldives and has contributed to the social, environmental and education sector of Maldives.
Japan has also provided a grant of USD 356,400 for UNICEF Maldives and USD 185,000 for Maldives Red Crescent to assist the government of the Maldives in its efforts to respond to COVID-19. Japan has also committed a grant of USD 1.4 million to the UNDP Maldives in support of small and medium enterprises in agri-businesses affected by COVID-19.