Previous activities and achievements
- Civil Society Development
- Civic Education
- Democracy Promotion
- Human Rights
- Youth Development
- Gender Equality
- Freedom of Expression
- Combating Corruption
- Environmental Awareness
Civil Society Development
OSA strongly supports the development of a civil society in the Maldives and has supported programmes to facilitate this. Work includes:
- Collaborated with 7 other local NGOs to launch public awareness campaign against civil service act amendments which were to be passed on 2 April 2008.
- OSA members have advised and assisted civil society groups to secure funding for a number of activities in particular for projects on the empowerment of women and for youth development.
Civic Education
OSA activities that have raised public awareness about values and principles of a liberal democracy include:
- Hosting a public lecture for the United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Mr Richard Boucher, on 'Democracy in the Region' in May 2007.
- Hosting an Open Forum for the British High Commissioner, Mr Dominick Chilcott, to speak about the values of an open society in May 2006.
- Providing a grant under which the Law Society invited Professor Yash Ghai and Professor Jill Cottrell for a series of public engagements in which they spoke about constitution-making for liberal democracy and human rights protection.
- Travel by OSA members throughout the country for grassroots meetings to disseminate the ideas and values of modern democracy.
- Hosting a speaker programme for pre-eminent Constitutional Law scholar, Professor John Kincaid, from Lafayette University, Pennsylvania, USA in June 2007. Work included assistance in drafting chapter on local governance for the new Constitution, discussion with members of the NGO community and a lecture entitled "Empowering People through a Republican Constitution".
Democracy Promotion
OSA activities that have contributed to democracy promotion are based on advocacy by its members. OSA members have promoted strengthening of human rights protection and accelerating democratisation through advocacy of legal reform, greater transparency and openness, accession to human rights treaties, and developing civil society. Activities for democracy promotion include:
- Contributing to the panel discussion 'Democratic Reform in the Maldives' facilitated by OSA and the US Embassy as part of their US-Maldives Friendship week in November 2007.
- Conducting a speaker program for former Westminster Foundation for Democracy senior policy analyst on democracy and development, Ms Jadranka Foster in October 2007. Sessions on 'Democracy in Transition' were held at the Human Rights Commission, the Elections Commission, political party offices, the Ministry for Economic Development and Trade as well as with the NGO community.
- Hosting a workshop on 'Organisation and Roles of Political Parties' in June 2007. Led by leading US entrepreneur and international political strategist, Ms Ann Stone, the workshop provided practical training and guidance to those working for political parties. A range of topics were covered, such as 'Developing Political Party Platforms and Policies', 'Developing Voter Support for Political Parties' and 'Political Parties and the Media'.
Human Rights
OSA is dedicated to improving the promotion and protection of human rights in the Maldives. Work to achieve this includes:
- Human Rights speaker programme by former Australian Human Rights Commissioner, Mr Chris Sidoti, in February 2008. Included training of the Maldives Human Rights Commission, discussions with the Police Commissioner, NGOs, youth and a public lecture.
- Public lecture on the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by UN Expert Mr Simon Walker. Coordinated with UNDP and Handicap International in January 2008.
- Conducted a human rights day photo and poster competition for Maldivian youth, providing winner with tour of UN human rights capital of the world, Geneva, Switzerland.
Youth Development
OSA actively supports programs that teach self-reliance and vocational skills to young people in the Maldives:
- Supported a group of young people to hold a rock concert which celebrated Maldivian youth and musical talent.
- In partnership with a youth development NGO (Havitta Youth Frontier), OSA provided a career development workshop for 150 students in the southern atoll, Fuvahmulah.
Gender Equality
OSA is active in the promotion of gender equality in the Maldives. It endorses the implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Activities include:
- OSA secured funding for initiatives on the empowerment of women, such as the Women's Development Association in Addu atoll.
- OSA took part in drafting a National Action Plan to follow up the Concluding Comments of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on the Maldives which were released in February 2007.
Freedom of Expression
OSA is committed to promoting freedom of expression, in particular press freedom. The OSA takes a strong stand against the prosecution of journalists and has succeeded in improving the protection enjoyed by journalists. Activities include:
-
Initiating the commemoration, for the first time in the Maldives, of World Press Freedom Day.
-
Involvement in plans to launch media training programmes in the Maldives, with assistance of the Institute of Journalism in Madras, India.
-
Providing grants and other support to journalists seeking a career as independent journalists.
-
Jointly organising a poetry recitation with other NGOs and individuals committed to promoting freedom of expression in November 2007.
Combating Corruption
The OSA has had great success in raising public awareness about the dangers of corruption and plutocracy. Activities include:
- Running an active public campaign against corruption in April 2006. This took place on the back of the elections of the Dhivehu Raiyyithunge Party (DRP).
- Developing programmes to generate public support and pressure for the Maldives to accede to the UN Convention against Corruption.
Environmental Awareness
OSA is committed to highlight the importance of saving the environment. It supports initiatives to raise awareness among Maldivians about how they can save the environment. In addition OSA works to raise awareness to the world outside the Maldives about the threat global warming and sea level rise poses to the Maldives. Activities so far include:
- Part of the task force for the 'Friends of Live Earth' music concert held on 7/07/07. With music from Maldivian bands the concert named 'Jamming for the Islands' sent messages to promote saving the environment to a national and international audience.
- Hosting a music gig with famous Maldivian band, Zero Degree Atoll, which promoted participation and fund raising for a beach clean up in Hulemale as part of International Coastal Cleanup Day.
• 
powered by: 
. Email