Additional Secretary of Ministry of Foreign affairs Dr. Marium Jabyn has stated that Maldives is the one of the pioneering country to vocalize the concerns of small nations in the UN Human Rights Council.
Talking on the first episode of the newly launched talk show of PSM news, "Talk Maldives" Marium Jabyn said that Maldives has raised concerns on issues of such countries in the fields such as woman and child rights, environment and climate change. In addition to this Maldives has always stressed on the effects that bound to occur in human rights due to the change in climate in the UNHRC.
Furthermore she highlighted that the domestic systems of Maldives are being reconstructed to allow the human rights to be feasible and to empower it. She said that in the six years of the UNHRC term of Maldives; our nation has achieved major milestones such as developing a trust fund for the Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
“Maldives co-chairs and assists Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) in Human Rights Council including the universal periodic review process to make sure they are able to complete the UPR process. Maldives is also chair of the Asia Pacific Group in Geneva, which is a part of the Human Rights council which coordinates human rights related issues.” Dr. Marium Jabyn said.
She further emphasized on the hurdles and challenges faced by Maldives in establishing human rights. She stressed that, the human rights and the treaties regarding the human rights are developed to an ideal society. She emphasized that, Maldives being a geographically unique and a country new to the democracy, has additional challenges to establish these rights.
“We join treaties or an instrument is not that we have achieved them. It means we are aspiring to achieve them. In the Maldives is not different from any other but we engage in it and infrom what we do domestically to improve those.” Dr. Marium Jabyn said.
Maldives has been in the UN human rights council for the past two consecutive terms, and was amongst one of the first small nations to be appointed to this council.