President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has decided to seek Parliamentary approval for the ratification of an international treaty, lift reservations on another treaty and to join a statutory body of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). The decision was made following deliberations on the matter at the Cabinet meeting.
Following the discussions at the meeting, President Solih decided for the Maldives to become a party to the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) and join the Asia and Pacific Commission on Agricultural Statistics (APCAS). The President also decided to lift some restrictions on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
The Revised Kyoto Convention is the blueprint for modern and efficient Customs procedures which promotes trade facilitation and adequate controls through its legal provisions that detail the application of simple yet efficient procedures. The decision to become a party to the Convention follows deliberations on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Economic Development.
The Asia and Pacific Commission on Agricultural Statistics (APCAS) is a statutory body of FAO, which brings together senior statistics officials from FAO member countries of the Asia and Pacific region, who are responsible for the development of agricultural statistics in their respective countries. The decision for the Maldives to become a member of APCAS was made following discussions on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture.
The President, upon recommendations from the Cabinet, also decided to lift reservations on sections (b), (e), (g), and (h) of Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 16 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). It is an international legal instrument that requires countries to eliminate discrimination against women in all areas and promotes women’s equal rights. The decision follows deliberations on a paper proposed by the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services.