Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel has stressed on the importance of vaccine equity during the 14th Bali Democracy Forum.

State Minister Khaleel participated in the virtual hybrid meeting, hosted by the government of Indonesia, revolved around the theme “Democracy for Humanity: Advancing Economic and Social Justice during Pandemic”, on Thursday.

He spoke extensively on democracy and advancing inclusion, highlighting the significance of the forum for sharing experiences and best practices towards strengthening democratic systems.

Noting that the socio-economic issues that have snowballed over the years have been aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic, Khaleel noted stressed on the importance of ensuring women’s inclusion. In this regard he shed light on the Maldivian government’s efforts to ensure justice for women and girls.

Going on to stress on the importance of vaccine equity, Khaleel urged countries to work collaboratively in multilateral solidarity with renewed motivation to recover from the ongoing pandemic.

The discussions were also joined by the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand Nanaia Mahuta, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.

The Bali Democracy Forum was founded in 2008 and has been held as an annual international forum in Indonesia since.

The forum paves the path for ministers, senior government officials, experts and relevant organizations to gather and share valuable best practices and lesson learnt on building democratic societies.