Maldives has said the gender equality is essential to ensuring a peaceful society and inclusive Islamic community.
Maldivian Foreign Minister, Abdulla Shahid, said this while delivering a statement at the 47th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
57 foreign ministers of the OIC took part in the session held under the theme “United against Terrorism for Peace and Development” from 27-28 November.
Noting that gender equality “is essential to ensuring a peaceful society and inclusive Ummah”, the minister stressed that Maldives joined the OIC’s Women’s Development Organization in 2019 because of its commitment to gender equality.
He further urged those countries who are not yet members of the organization to “join and contribute towards achieving gender parity”.
In his statement, the foreign minister also called to “unconditionally reject" terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
He also called for a mechanism where the OIC and the wider international community “works together to counter the prevailing atmosphere of Islamophobia around the world, that has afflicted the lives of many Muslims”.
Shahid also highlighted the issues in Palestine and Myanmar during his statement. Noting that people of Palestine “are facing even more hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as they struggle for freedom and combat the virus”, the minister reiterated Maldives’ call for a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine.
He stated that the aspirations of the Maldivian people for a peaceful Middle East “is tied to that of the people of Palestine”.
Speaking in regards to the Rohingya people, Shahid said that Maldives is looking forwards to “working closely” with Gambia in seeking justice for the Rohingya people at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). He called on all parties “to resolve the issue amicably and reaffirmed support to the UN Secretary-General's efforts to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution in line with the principles and objectives of the Charter of the UN”.
Minister Shahid also highlighted the impacts of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic during his statement, including its health, social and economic effects.
Noting that the Maldivian government had to take “unprecedented and difficult measures” to curb the virus, the minister stressed that this resulted in a lot of adverse economic effects. He further emphasized the particular vulnerability of smaller states within the OIC to the pandemic, and called for a “greater concessional financing to aid with recovery and resilience”.
The minister also welcomed the Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative, announced under the Saudi Arabia’s G20 Presidency earlier this month.
In addition to delivering a statement at the 47th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers, Minister Shahid met with a number of his counterparts on the sidelines of the event. This includes the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Gambia, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mauritania and Senegal.
