The government of the Maldives has affirmed that the Samoa Agreement signed, does not conflict with Islamic values or the constitution. This statement was made in response to critics who claimed that some articles in the agreement were incompatible with the country’s religion and legal framework.

Spokesperson of the President’s Office Heena Waleed clarified the Maldives signed the agreement after presenting declarations and reservations on 12 specific articles that could potentially conflict with Islamic values and principles and the constitution. She noted that the Maldives has a history of signing similar agreements, always including necessary reservations and declarations to safeguard religious and constitutional values.

The government emphasised that it will not allow any circumstances that might conflict with the country’s religious values or laws.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlighted that the agreement aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the European Union (EU) and the Maldives. Key areas of focus include climate change mitigation and sustainable economic growth. The agreement is also expected to enhance the capacity of OACPS member countries to tackle global challenges, emphasising democracy and human rights, sustainable development, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, and migration and mobility.

The Samoa Agreement brings together 79 OACPS member states and 27 EU member states, representing nearly 2 billion people with diverse socio-economic backgrounds. This coalition represents more than half of the United Nations’ member states.

Source(s): PsmNews

Ministry of Higher Education, Labour and Skill Development has opened 100 scholarship opportunities to study chartered accounting.

The deadline for interested students to apply for the Professional Accountants Training Scholarship Scheme 2024, is set as July 31, 2024 at 1300hrs. The 100 scholarship opportunities are distributed to a public category and an open category. The ministry revealed while 50 opportunities were opened for individuals working in state-owned enterprises, the remaining 50 opportunities are designated for individuals who are unemployed or work in private enterprises. The scope of the scholarship is Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) at skills level and professional level, and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) at management level and strategic level.

The ministry has outlined the criteria required for all interested participants. Such individuals must fit into the criteria required to enter ACCA at skills level and professional level, and the criteria to enter CIMA at management level and strategic level. Additionally, if the individual previously took a loan from the ministry, or through the Department of Higher Education, they must be repaying the loan regularly without default. Furthermore, the requested course must be of a higher level than the course the individual has already completed, and the student should not be currently completing a course at the same level as the requested course at state expense.

The ministry revealed that interested individuals can submit applications via the MyEdu portal: https://myedu.egov.mv.

Source(s): PsmNews

A resolution proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 140 countries including the U.S. was passed unanimously at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly on Monday.

The resolution calls for “human-centered” development of AI and that it should benefit all nations.

The resolution puts a particular emphasis on equality, stresses that international cooperation should help developing countries build their AI capacity. Meanwhile, their voice should also be included more in global AI governance in an “open, fair, and non-discriminatory business environment.”

China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Fu Cong, pointed out that many developing countries have not been able to access or benefit from the use of AI as the global digital divide continues to widen.

“The goal is to help all countries, especially developing ones, equally benefit from AI development, bridge the digital divide, improve global AI governance, and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” said Fu.

The adoption of the resolution was warmly welcomed and highly appreciated by many developing countries, according to the Chinese permanent mission to the UN.

They unanimously agreed that the resolution’s focus on AI capacity building and its series of practical measures are of milestone importance in bridging the global digital divide and promoting the shared benefits of AI development among countries, according to the mission.

“Past global discussions may have focused on the issues of AI safety, ethics and governance. However, for many low- and middle-income countries, they lack even the most basic AI infrastructure, let alone the capability for AI innovation and application,” said Zeng Yi, a member of the United Nations AI Advisory Body and professor at the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“The original purpose of AI technology was to empower sustainable development and bridge the digital divide. However, this divide has now widened, making governance issues critically important. Capacity building is a crucial core element aimed at helping these low- and middle-income countries bridge this digital divide and ensuring that the benefits of AI reach them,” Zeng said.

Meanwhile, AI technology is already showing its potential in developing countries. A survey of 11,900 people in the Asia-Pacific region conducted by Deloitte in May found that generative AI is already transforming how people work. According to the company, the AI revolution is unsurprisingly led by the younger generation who grew up being surrounded by smart devices, voice assistants and recommendation algorithms.

“They’ve experienced AI in various aspects of their lives, from entertainment and education to health care and daily interactions since early childhood. As such, they’re characterized by their digital fluency and ability to navigate and use AI technologies,” said the company in a report.

Developing economies in the region are at the forefront of adopting generative AI, with adoption rates roughly 30% higher than those in developed economies. Notably, daily usage is significantly higher in India (32%) and Southeast Asian countries (19%), compared to Australia (8%) and Japan (4%).

Deloitte attributes this adoption gap partly to the larger proportion of “digitally native” individuals in developing economies. In India, 46% of those surveyed were aged between 18 and 35, whereas only 30% of respondents in Japan fell within this age group.

Source(s): CGTN