Mariya Ahmed Didi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mariya Ahmed Didi
މާރިޔާ އަހުމަދު ދީދީ
Official portrait, 2018
Minister of Defence
In office 17 November 2018 – 17 November 2013
President	Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Preceded by	Adam Shareef
Succeeded by	Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon
Member of the 18th People's Majlis
In office 28 May 2014 – 17 November 2018
President	Abdulla Yameen
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Mohamed Rasheed
Constituency	North Mahchangoalhi
Personal details
Born	Machchangolhi, Malé, Maldives
Political party	Maldivian Democratic Party
Spouse	Mohamed Amir
Children	1 daughter, 2 sons

Mariya Ahmed Didi (Dhivehi: މާރިޔާ އަހުމަދު ދީދީ) is a Maldivian lawyer and politician. She served as the Minister of Defence for the Maldives. She was the campaign manager for President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during the 2018 elections. After the elections, she became the first woman to be appointed Minister of Defence in the Maldives.

As Minister of Defence, Mariya Didi was in charge of eight important organizations. These included the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and the National Counter Terrorism Centre. She also oversaw the National Disaster Management Authority, Maldives Customs Service, and Maldives Immigration. Other agencies were the Aviation Security Command, Anti-Trafficking in Persons, and Maldives Hydrographic Service.

Mariya Didi started a new tradition of meeting regularly with MNDF leaders. She also held meetings with other defence agencies. This helped them share information and updates across different groups.

Early Life and Career

Education and Awards

Mariya Didi studied law at the University of Aberystwyth in Wales, United Kingdom. She earned two law degrees there. She then became one of the first two Maldivian lawyers to qualify as a Barrister in England. A Barrister is a special type of lawyer who can argue cases in higher courts.

In 2007, she received a special honor. The US Secretary of State gave her the International Women of Courage Award. This award recognized her amazing work in supporting women's rights. Mariya Didi is married to Mr. Mohamed Amir. She has one daughter and two sons.

Political Journey

Mariya Didi was the first female lawyer in the Maldives. She was elected to the People's Majlis, which is like the country's parliament, four times. She helped write the 2008 Constitution.

She also became the Chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). This is the biggest political party in the Maldives. Under her leadership, the party won the 2008 presidential elections. This victory was very important. It ended 30 years of strict rule and helped bring democracy to the Maldives.

Fighting for Democracy

Mariya Didi played a big part in bringing democracy to the Maldives. In 2012, there was a difficult time for the country. Mariya Didi bravely stood up for what was right. She faced challenges while supporting the former president.

In the 2018 presidential elections, Mariya Didi was a key person in the campaign for President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. She was the spokesperson and led the campaign in Male’, the capital city. This was a challenging time because democratic activities were limited. Mariya Didi and her party worked hard. They won the election, which helped end a period of strict rule and brought more freedom to the country.

Key Contributions

Modernizing the Defence Forces

In her first year as Minister, Mariya Didi worked to make the nation's defence forces more professional. She aimed to modernize them and remove political influence. This helped to rebuild public trust in the MNDF. She also worked to improve relations between civilians and the military.

Some important steps she took included:

• Helping to create the MNDF's main guiding principles.
• Designing programs to improve the MNDF's professionalism and ability to work with other forces.
• Setting up the MNDF's first military justice system.
• Improving how soldiers' complaints were handled.
• Starting programs to support soldiers' well-being.
• Encouraging open discussions within the armed forces.

Mariya Didi also made the defence sector more open to the press. Before this, defence institutions like the MNDF rarely spoke to the media. This made people distrust them and created a culture of secrecy. To make the forces more democratic, Mariya Didi changed this tradition. She answered questions from the parliament's National Security Services committee. This helped address concerns about the integrity of the defence forces.

Mariya Didi also worked closely with the National Security Advisors of India and Sri Lanka. They created a plan for the Colombo Security Conclave. This group focuses on security cooperation among the three countries.

In November 2021, Mariya Didi became the first Minister from outside India to lead the Passing Out Parade at the Indian Naval Academy (INA). The INA in Ezhimala is Asia's largest naval academy.

Women in the Military

Mariya Didi is known for her efforts to ensure gender equality in the armed forces. For 130 years, the MNDF's Advisory Council had never included women. This was true even though female soldiers had been recruited for over 30 years. Mariya Didi changed the council's structure to allow Lieutenant Colonels to join. She then appointed two female Lieutenant Colonels to the council for the first time. This was part of her goal to have women in the highest decision-making levels of the MNDF. This followed the promotion of three female officers to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Mariya Didi also made it a rule that all internal MNDF committees must have at least one female soldier. In August 2021, the MNDF appointed its first female Information Officer. In early 2021, Lieutenant Firushana Thaufeeg returned home. She was the first Maldivian female officer cadet sent to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the UK. She won the Best International Student Award from her course.

Today, female soldiers are taking on roles that were traditionally for men. They are becoming Sergeant Majors, Personal Security Officers, and Special Protection Group agents. They also serve as honor guards, shooters, and firefighters.

Fighting Terrorism and Extremism

Mariya Didi was committed to the government's efforts to fight terrorism and violent extremism. The government adopted a "Zero Tolerance Policy" on these issues. In November 2018, the government openly recognized the threat of terrorism for the first time. Since then, many steps have been taken to address this challenge. These include creating a National Action Plan to prevent violent extremism.

Under Mariya Didi's leadership, the National Counter Terrorism Centre played a key role. It coordinated efforts to prevent terrorism and violent extremism. This involved a "whole-of-government" and "whole-of-society" approach. Over the past three years, the center has expanded its work. It has held many seminars, workshops, and mobile programs with local and international partners.

See also

• List of first women lawyers and judges in Asia