Maldives is proud to have demonstrated leadership at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), says Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid.
FM Shahid said this in a message on the 57th Anniversary of the Maldives Membership at the UN, extended on Thursday.
As such, FM Shahid highlighted on the fact that Maldives joined the UN at a time a small state joining the UN was questioned, 57 years ago.
He went on to note that the island nation believes in multilateralism and it is at the heart of the government’s Foreign Policy.
Noting that Maldives is proud to have demonstrated leadership at the General Assembly, Shahid shed light on the country’s call to resolve conflicts, to address poverty and vulnerability, to find joint and urgent solutions to the impacts of climate change, to empower women and girls as well as to promote and strengthen the ideals of peace around the world.
He stated that this reaffirms the country’s longstanding commitment to international cooperation and to the rules-based international order with the UN at its core.
The Maldives has consistently called for and supported global initiatives to assist small island developing states (SIDS) in enhancing their resilience, as well as those to assist fledgling democracies in aligning their national human rights systems with international obligations and standards.”Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Highlighting that the Maldives will once again be running for a seat at the UN Human Right Council for the term 2023-2025, FM Shahid stated that the island nation served two consecutive terms at the UN Human Rights Council and took leadership on several initiatives including actively collaborating with countries to set up new mechanisms and mandates that further enhanced human rights throughout the globe.
The foreign minister noted that the Maldives is a proud member among the countries that created the council’s first mandate holder on the wider question of human rights and environment “the Independent Expert on Human Rights and Environment”.
He went on to state that Maldives believes that global issues require global solutions and stressed that a more resilient and a stronger world can be built through multilateralism.
Shahid highlighted that the UN’s strength lies in its ability to shape norms, change discourse, and forge consensus, adding that the Maldives believes every crisis the country has faced has reconfirmed that multilateral cooperation is the only path.
With this being said, FM Shahid stated that a better version of the world tomorrow can be shaped with joint efforts, a world where multilateralism is reinforced.
