The Government of the Republic of Maldives and the Government of Japan, with a view to further developing friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries, signed an exchange of notes today at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and the Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives Her Excellency Keiko Yanai signed the Exchange of Notes on the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship.

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.

The government of Japan has always been a consistent partner of the Maldives and has contributed to the social, environmental and education sector of Maldives.

The Government of 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 in its efforts to respond to COVID-19. The Government of 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.