Vice President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef has stated that the development of the country's first Maldives Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy in the early days of this Administration demonstrates the priority President Dr Mohamed Muizzu places on this matter in his policy agenda.
The Vice President made these remarks whilst speaking at the opening ceremony of the 'Resilient 20' exhibition held at the National Art Gallery, organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to mark 20 years since the tsunami disaster.
At this ceremony, he noted that the nation's recovery from the tsunami's devastation and progress toward a resilient dawn was achieved through the light of Islamic guidance that Allah has bestowed upon this nation. In his speech, he highlighted the exemplary unity shown by Maldivians during the disaster and acknowledged the sacrifices made in national service by security forces, volunteers, and the general public, who drew courage from one another. He also highlighted the work of the NDMA, which was established in response to this disaster.
During the ceremony, the Vice President launched the book ‘Maldives Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy 2024-2030,’ which was approved by the National Disaster Management Council on Tuesday, December 24.
At the ceremony, he listened to a special song composed for the Day of Unity. Afterwards, he toured the exhibition and wrote a special message related to the tsunami in the ‘Honoring the Lives Lost’ segment. He was then presented with the photo book of the 'Resilient 20' exhibition.
The 2004 tsunami, which remains the most dangerous disaster to have faced the Maldives, occurred 20 years ago, at 09:23 a.m. on Sunday, December 26, claiming 82 lives and displacing more than 29,000 people across the archipelago.
