Fathimath Inaya

Foreign Secretary

Biography

Ms. Fathimath Inaya was appointed by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu as the Foreign Secretary of Maldives, on 12 December 2023, making her the first female Foreign Secretary in the history of the country. Prior to her appointment as the Foreign Secretary, Ms. Fathimath Inaya served as Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ms. Inaya is a career diplomat whose services extend over 22 years. She began her career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in December 1996 as a Desk Officer Trainee. She rose through the junior ranks to the Director position at the Ministry in October 2007. She headed the South Asian Division, enhancing regional ties between the Maldives and SAARC countries. In November 2009, Ms. Inaya was promoted to Deputy Additional Secretary and later in May 2012 she became the Joint Secretary, overseeing the bilateral department of the Ministry. She headed multiple Departments/Divisions in these positions including Consular Department and Middle East and Africa Division. Ms. Fathimath Inaya was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs on 23 December 2013, where she used her expertise to assist the Minister with the overall functioning of the Ministry. During her tenure as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs till 2018, she concurrently served as the Non-resident High Commissioner of Maldives to Singapore from January 2015 to March 2017. After her 22-year career in the Foreign Service, Ms. Fathimath Inaya expanded her professional portfolio as the Director of International Relations at Civil Service Commission, an independent state institution, from December 2019 to June 2022. She then joined the Maldives chapter of the international NGO, Transparency Maldives as the Governance Manager in July 2022. Ms. Inaya promoted anti-corruption and protection of human rights during her 1-year tenure in the organization. On 17 November 2023, Ms. Fathimath Inaya returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. She was subsequently appointed as the Secretary at the Ministry and officially became part of the Service per the recruitment policy of the Foreign Service. Ms. Fathimath Inaya holds a Master of International Studies from the University of Sydney, Australia and a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies and Asian Studies from Flinders University, Australia. She is married with one daughter.