President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has nominated Maldives’ envoys to three key international organisations and forwarded them for Parliament endorsement.
In that regard, the President has nominated the Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Dr Salma Rasheed as the country’s representative to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
High Commissioner of Maldives to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Dr Iruthisham Adam has been nominated as the country’s representative to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) while Ambassador of Maldives to the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed Hussain Shareef has been nominated to represent the Maldives at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
The Parliament during its sitting on Tuesday forwarded the nominations to the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee for vetting.
Established on 17 March 1948, the IMO is a United Nations specialised agency, responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. It aims to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective, universally adopted and universally implemented. At present, IMO has 174 Member States and three Associate Members. The Maldives joined IMO on 31 May 1967.
IRENA is an intergovernmental organisation that was officially established in 2009. At present, IRENA comprises 164 Member States. The Maldives has been an active member of IRENA since its formation, including in the capacity of Vice Chair of the Assembly of IRENA, following the elections in 2013. In October 2017, the inaugural meeting of the Renewable Island Energy (IRIE) was also held in the Maldives.
The Maldives is an active member of WTO, having been a member of the WTO since 31 May 1995. Prior to joining the WTO, the Maldives was a signatory to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), since 19 April 1993.