Government of Maldives has refuted reports by some media outlets that the country lost its bid to secure a seat at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), citing that the country had withdrawn its candidacy in April.
Some media outlets have been reporting fabricated reports that the Maldivian government lost its bid in the UNHRC election for membership for the term of 2018-20 in a vote which was taken on October 16 at the United Nations General Assembly.
The government of Maldives had decided to withdraw its candidacy in April in order to provide opportunity for other regional countries to contest for membership, stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement released regarding the issue.
The statement noted that the country successfully completed two terms from 2010-13 and 2014-16 at the UNHRC. The statement advised all media outlets to report responsibly and not spread fabricated stories which could cause confusion.