On the sidelines of the 34th Session of Human Rights Council, Dr. Mohamed Asim, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, and Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, Minister of International Development and the Pacific of Australia, hosted a joint reception to welcome delegates from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) participating in the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council with the support of the UN voluntary LDCs/SIDS Trust Fund.
Minister Asim extended a warm welcome to the 11 delegates who were beneficiaries of the Trust Fund this year. These participants joined the council from the three regions where LDCs and SIDS are present: the Caribbean, Africa and Asia and the Pacific. The Minister further reiterated the commitment, as co-chairs of the Group of Friends of SIDS, to increasing the participation of SIDS and LDCs in the work of the United Nations and, in particular, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC).
“As human rights is an interlinked and cross cutting component of holistic and sustained development, the promotion and protection of human rights is a fundamental component to ensuring that no one is left behind,” Minister Asim noted. “SIDS and LDCs’ delegates consistently represent the voices of those who are most vulnerable and those who most need to be taken into account in global governance processes.”
The Foreign Minister also highlighted that the opportunity for engagement provided by the UN Trust Fund to Support the participation of LDCs and SIDS in the work of the HRC is invaluable.
The High Level dignitaries of the LDCs and SIDS attending the High Level Segment of the Human Rights Council including the dignitaries from the Donor countries of the Trust fund attended the reception that was held yesterday afternoon. The Permanent Representative of Switzerland Valentin Zellweger represented the Bureau of the Human Rights Council as Vice President.