UKULHAS, Maldives — Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives G. Balasubramanian participated in the closing ceremony of the Small Island Developing States Supreme Audit Institutions Symposium and the opening of the INTOSAI Development Initiative Global Summit in AA. Ukulhas.
The events brought together heads of supreme audit institutions, development partners and international experts to strengthen dialogue on sustainable development, institutional resilience, public-sector accountability and innovation among Small Island Developing States.
The three-day SIDS SAIs Symposium, held from August 3–5, brought together 46 delegates representing 26 countries. It focused on strengthening the ability of audit institutions in small island states to assess the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The symposium was organised by the Auditor General’s Office of the Maldives and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. It was followed by the INTOSAI Development Initiative—or IDI—Global Summit, held in Ukulhas from August 6–7.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, addressing the joint closing and opening session, said strong and independent audit institutions were essential for public trust, accountability and sustainable development. He also highlighted the particular institutional and resource constraints faced by small island states. President’s Office
The Indian High Commission said the gathering provided a platform for stakeholders to advance cooperation on resilience, innovation and sustainable development among partner states. High Commission of India
India expands capacity-building support for Maldivians
India has remained one of the Maldives’ principal partners in professional training and institutional capacity building, supporting programmes for civil servants, defence personnel, police officers, health professionals, judicial and prosecutorial officials, teachers, council employees and other public-sector workers.
A major component is the cooperation between the Maldives Civil Service Commission and India’s National Centre for Good Governance. Under the first agreement signed in 2019, India committed to training 1,000 Maldivian civil servants in public administration, digital governance, public policy, service delivery and sustainable development.
Official Indian figures show that 31 programmes involving 965 Maldivian officials had been completed by the end of 2023. The number increased to 32 programmes and 1,005 officials by March 2024.
From February 2024 to July 2026—the latest two-and-a-half-year period—available programme records show that the cooperation advanced from the 32nd to the 43rd batch, representing at least 12 civil-service capacity-building batches. The cumulative number trained had exceeded 1,200 officials by late 2025, with additional groups participating during 2026. These figures cover the NCGG civil-service programme and do not include Maldivians trained separately through ITEC scholarships, defence cooperation, health programmes and specialised institutional courses. NCGG programme records
India and the Maldives renewed the programme in August 2024, setting a new target of training another 1,000 Maldivian civil servants between 2024 and 2029. Press Information Bureau of India
Specialised training has also continued outside the civil-service programme. In August 2025, for example, 15 Maldivian prosecutors attended a two-week programme in India on investigation, maritime law, piracy, human rights and transnational crime under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation initiative. A further 30 Maldivian local-government officials attended a capacity-building programme in Hyderabad in January 2026.
The expanding training partnership reflects a broader shift in India–Maldives cooperation towards developing local professional expertise and strengthening institutions, alongside India’s support for infrastructure and community development projects in the Maldives.
