Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has revealed Turkey gave its support for the candidature of the Maldives for the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
In a joint press statement with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu, Minister Shahid thanked the Government of Turkey for committing to support the candidature of the Maldives for the UNHRC for the term of 2023-2025. He said it was a vote of trust in the important role the Maldives is playing in the international arena and a testament to the close relations between the Maldives and Turkey.
Minister Shahid, who is also the President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (PGA), announced the candidature of the Maldives for the UNHRC during a meeting in its 43rd session in 2020 and said the Maldives is committed to advocating for the rights of the member states.
The Maldives was a member of the UNHRC from 2010-2013 and 2013-2016, during which the country advocated for human rights and climate change action, which resulted in the establishment of a voluntary trust fund for small island developing states.
The UNHRC is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations (UN) system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations and making recommendations on them. It has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and situations that require its attention throughout the year.
The UNHRC consists of a total of 47 member states which are elected by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).