Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed the Maldives will deliver a joint statement for the Biennial Panel on the Right to Development on behalf of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The statement will be delivered at the 51st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland.
The foreign ministry said the delegation from the Maldives is set to engage in interactive dialogues and panel discussions, and also participate in discussions related to key resolutions, in line with the key policies and priorities of the government. As such, the Maldives along with a cross-regional core group will put forward a resolution titled The role of prevention in the promotion and protection of Human Rights. In addition, on the sidelines of the UNHRC, the Maldives, along with the core group on Human Rights and Environment, will hold a side event to mark the one-year anniversary of the establishment of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a human right. The event will focus on the implementation of this right.
The delegation is led by the Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations Offices at Geneva Asim Ahmed and includes the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations Offices at Geneva Hawla Ahmed Didi, Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of the Maldives to the United Nations Office at Geneva Hassan Hussain Shihab, and the Second Secretary of the Permanent Mission of the Maldives to the United Nations Office at Geneva Maryam Fathika Fayaz.
The Maldives has served as a Member of the UNHRC for two conservative terms, from 2011 to 2016. The Maldives also held the Vice Presidency of the UNHRC throughout 2013, representing the Asia-Pacific Group. The Maldives has presented its candidature to the UNHRC for the term 2023-2025.
The UNHRC is an intergovernmental body within the United Nations (UN), consisting of 47 member states that are responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe.