Maldives has called to “protecting the human rights and dignity of the Palestinian people”.
Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid made the call while participating in the Extraordinary Virtual Ministerial Pledging Conference for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), via video conference on Tuesday.
During his remarks, the foreign minister highlighted the “extraordinary progress” achieved by UNRWA since its establishment 70 years ago,
Noting that 5.5 million Palestinian Refugees depend on UNRWA for basic healthcare and education, Shahid expressed concern regarding the funding crisis faced by the agency adding that this “severely affects the welfare of Palestinian people”. He also noted that UNRWA’s perseverance in the face of the multi-faceted challenges, including COVID-19, was “a testament to its resilience”.
Furthermore, the country’s top diplomat called on the international community to “provide financial support to UNRWA in order for the Agency to adequately promote and protect the human rights and dignity to which the people of Palestine are entitled to”.
He also reiterated the Maldives’ long-standing position of a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in accordance with international law and respective United Nations resolutions.
The Extraordinary Virtual Ministerial Pledging Conference for UNRWA was held to mobilise political and financial support to UNRWA, meet resource requirements for 2020, and act collectively to secure its needs for 2021 and 2022. Several UN Member States generously pledged to assist UNRWA in the face of the current crisis.
The Conference, entitled “A strong UNRWA in a Challenging World – Mobilising Collective Action” was co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, and the Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation Peter Eriksson.
Earlier this month, the Maldives condemned and rejected the proposed Israeli annexation of large parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and called for the restoration of the Palestinians' right to self-determination.
