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The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Asim issues a message on the occasion of the fifty-second anniversary of Maldives membership at the United Nations.

In his message, the Minister highlight the achievements of the Maldives at the United Nations. Minister’s message reads as follows:

“Today the Maldives celebrates the fifty-second anniversary of its membership of the United Nations.

The Maldives applied to became a member of the United Nations, just a month after its independence on 26 July 1965. It was the first ‘micro-state’ to join the United Nations, which at the time sparked a debate about the ability of very small States to take on the responsibilities set out in the UN charter. Today, the Maldives can proudly say that in the last five decades, the Maldives has made an enormous impact on the world.

The Maldives was fundamental in bringing to the attention of the international community the devastating consequences of climate change. We raised the issue of the security of small states, and gave a voice to the unique vulnerabilities faced by small island states, including through the formation of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) in 1990 – a group it has chaired since 2015.

The Maldives has served two consecutive terms on the United Nations Human Rights Council. We have been a leading voice on human rights and fundamental freedoms and drawing attention on issues, such as the effects of climate change on the full enjoyment of human rights. At the Council, the Maldives has also focused on enabling the participation of the small island developing states, which lad to the creation of the SIDS trust fund. The Maldives has also served a term on the executive board of UN-Women, promoting gender equality.

The Maldives firmly believes in the power of multilateralism, placing its faith in the United Nations, and its processes. The Maldives has taken principled positions on peace and security, resolving conflicts through peaceful means, disarmament and non-proliferation, and countering terrorism and violent extremism. We believe that every country, regardless of size and might, must have the opportunity to serve. This is why for the first time in fifty-two years of membership, the Maldives has presented its candidature to the United Nations Security Council for the term 2019- 2020. We are confident that the Maldives will bring diversity and determination to the Security Council. We are confident that this next step, in our journey as a member of the United Nations, will bring new challenges, but also new opportunities for the Maldives to provide shared solutions for a shared destiny”.

The Maldives co-hosted a Side-Event on “Ending Violence against Children” with Estonia and Nigeria this afternoon. The Side-event was moderated by the Minister of Gender and Family of the Maldives, Ms. Zenysha Shaheed Zaki.

Minister Zenysha also delivered a keynote speech at the event, reflecting on the work of the government of Maldives in ending violence against Children.

While speaking at the Side-Event, Minister Zenysha, acknowledged challenges in addressing  violence against children, and shared the Maldives experience in addressing the issue. The Minister stated that the government takes cases involving violence against children very seriously, and uses multiple strategies in responding and facilitating protection. The Minister noted that especially under the leadership of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, a number of legislative measures and policy initiatives have been undertaken to strengthen the child protection system and added that the government is in the process of updating the child rights legislation to ensure its readiness to tackle modern challenges and emerging issues.

Minister Zenysha also shared initiatives undertaken to reach the widely dispersed population of the Maldives though community social groups established at the Island level to strengthen response mechanisms. The Minister further highlighted on the Maldives’s first ever National Conference on Violence against Children, in which a two-year National Action Plan was endorsed by stakeholders and added that a Child Participation Forum was also convened, to seek the voice of children, on the initiatives in the National Action Plan.

This side event brought together countries across regions, to share different perspectives, challenges, prevention models and innovative strategies for preventing violence against children. The purpose of the event was to increase awareness and understanding of efforts towards ending violence against children in different countries and regions and consolidating knowledge to prevent and respond to violence against children.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, His Excellency Mr. Sven Mikser and the Minister of Defense of Nigeria Brig.Gen. (ret) Mansur Dan Ali were also among the high level panellists who spoke at the event which was held in partnership with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, and the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.