United Nations Resident Coordinator to Maldives Catherine Haswell has presented her credentials to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at a ceremony held at the President’s Office this morning.
Welcoming Resident Coordinator Haswell to Maldives and congratulating her on her appointment, President Solih expressed his confidence that Maldives-UN relations would take more significant strides under her tenure. He also expressed his appreciation of the organisation’s undertakings in Maldives and highlighted some of the areas of importance.
In this regard, President Solih emphasised the UN’s role in assisting Maldives in the areas of combatting terrorism and violent extremism, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The resident coordinator noted building cohesion within the UN programmes to better coordinate the assistance provided by the UN would be one of her priority areas.
Resident Coordinator Haswell extended greetings to President Solih from UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed. Describing the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) of President Solih’s administration as an ambitious agenda, Ms Haswell assured the UN’s continued support and cooperation towards fulfilling the plan. She further congratulated the president on the administration’s stand on various issues, including its stance on women empowerment and gender equality.
In conclusion, the president thanked the UN and its agencies for the continued support and assistance to Maldives and expressed his confidence in strengthening cooperation with a renewed spirit under Ms Haswell’s tenure.
The ceremony was also attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and Chief of Staff at the President’s Office Ali Zahir.