The current phase of collaboration in the Maldives began in 2008. It was inspired by the progressive political and civil society reforms that that took shape during this period.  These reforms created space and hope for independent civil society action and exercise of fundamental democratic freedoms by the citizens.

The initial collaboration sought to foster the activities of Transparency Maldives and then gradually into other areas of civic concerns. FES also played a role in strengthening civil society capacity in the first multi party democratic elections.

The FES also works in the area of networking civil society groups and trade union education.

However, initiatives in the Maldives are still at a preliminary stage. They focus on basic civil society activism and fostering of a democratic socio-political process.  The emphasis is on strengthening the fundamentals of a democratic governance process through active contribution of civil society actors.