The general debate of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, has opened.
The UNGA 77 general debate was opened on Tuesday and was attended by a high-level delegation from the Maldives, led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid. FM Shahid is leading the Maldives delegation at the high-level week. He is accompanied by several high-level government officials, including Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aminath Shauna.
The opening saw Secretary-General António Guterres highlighting that the UN Charter and the ideals it represents are in jeopardy.
As such, he stressed that the “only” way forward is by “cooperation” and “dialogue”, going on to urge world leaders to invest in climate action.
Csaba Kőrösi, the President of the 77th General Assembly backed these remarks and stated that the world needs solutions through “solidarity”, “sustainability” and “science”.
The UNGA 77 general debate will proceed through September 24.
Held under the theme, “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges”, the debate will see many heads of state and government and heads of national delegations delivering statements.
The Maldivian foreign minister will be delivering his statement on September 23.
The high-level week will also see FM Shahid holding several bilateral meetings advocating for Maldives’ candidature to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the term 2023-2025.
On the sidelines of UNGA 77, FM Shahid has so far met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen Ahmed A. BinMubarak, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Amery Browne, Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Solomon Islands, Jeremiah Manele, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister of Camboaida Prak Sokhonn, as well as the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia Gordan Grlić Radman among many other foreign dignitaries.
The elections for the UNHRC are slated for October 2022 with Maldives competing against Kyrgyz Republic, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Viet Nam and the Republic of Korea for the four seats allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group.
The island nation was elected twice consecutively, previously from 2011-2016.
This time international discourse was initiated on the link between climate change and human rights.
Further, the high-level week will see meetings and events centered on the Sustainable Development Goals, education, climate action, the situation in Ukraine, ending the Covid-19 pandemic and on the elimination of nuclear weapons.
