Mariya Didi is the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Maldives. She is the first female Minister of Defence of the Maldives. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who was sworn in on 17 November 2018, made the bold and historic move of appointing the nation’s first-ever female Minister of Defence. Mariya Didi, in her capacity as Minister of Defence, oversees a total of 8 critical institutions, namely Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Maldives Customs Service, Maldives Immigration, Aviation Security Command (AVSECOM), Anti-Trafficking in Persons (Anti-TIP) Office and Maldives Hydrographic Service. See also First women lawyers around the world References 1962 births Living people Maldivian activists Maldivian Democratic Party politicians Maldivian lawyers Maldivian women's rights activists 21st-century Maldivian women politicians 21st-century Maldivian politicians Female defence ministers Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award Women government ministers of the Maldives Defense ministers of the Maldives