Minister of Foreign Affairs Meets with the Representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

February 18, 2018

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives Dr. Mohamed Asim today welcomed the Chief of the Rule of Law, Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Ms. Mona Rishmawi at the Ministry for a courtesy call.

In welcoming her visit to the Maldives, Foreign Minister Asim underlined the importance the Maldives attaches to the United Nations and its desire to engage constructively with OHCHR in dialogue to address ongoing political developments and human rights issues. Foreign Minister Asim reiterated the commitment of the Government of Maldives in upholding the rule of law and pillars of democracy and in the country.

In referring to the purpose of the OHCHR visit to the Maldives, Foreign Minister Asim assured Ms. Rishmawi that the Government has already invited its development partners and representatives of international organizations to visit the country and to assess the situation. He highlighted that it was the Government’s interest to engage in dialogue with OHCHR that paved the way to welcoming the visit from OHCHR to the Maldives. Foreign Minister Asim recalled the strong partnership that has existed the Maldives and OHCHR in past years, and discussed ways to further strengthen it on the basis of mutual respect and understanding.

His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Sareer, Foreign Secretary, Her Excellency Ms. Shoko Noda, United Nations Resident Coordinator, and Mr. Javed Faizal, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also participated in the meeting.