Maldives, 2000

Allow me at the outset to

associate myself with previous speakers in

congratulating Mr. Holkeri on his election to preside

over the General Assembly at this historic session. It is

a tribute to his distinguished political experience and to

the invaluable contributions made by his country,

Finland, to the work of our Organization.

I should also like to extend my appreciation to his

predecessor, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, the Foreign

Minister of Namibia, for the excellent manner in which

he discharged his responsibilities during the fiftyfourth session.

I would also like to pay a special tribute to our

Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, for the inspirational

leadership and the moral authority he has brought to

our Organization. His report to the Millennium

Summit, “We the peoples”, will remain a powerful and

luminous beacon as we strive to make the world a more

just and peaceful place for future generations and the

United Nations a more effective, efficient and

responsive Organization in the new millennium.

Exactly 35 years ago today, Maldives was

admitted to the United Nations. We were proud to take

a seat in this world body, which has seen steady growth

in its membership, activities and influence. Today, we

are pleased to welcome to our midst the island nation

of Tuvalu. We look forward to working with Tuvalu in

furthering the cause of small island nations for a more

economically humane and socially just world that is

environmentally sustainable in the future.

Wars, hunger and famine have marred much of

the twentieth century. Terrorism, drugs and the spread

of HIV/AIDS threaten to destroy the peace and

prosperity of our future generations. Economic

inequality and social injustice have tended to increase,

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despite many laudable efforts to the contrary. As

technological advances bring untold riches and

opportunities to many, many more continue to live in

deprivation, their lives becoming increasingly

marginalized in a fast-changing world.

Only a few days back, the Millennium Summit

brought together the largest-ever gathering of world

leaders in human history. It was not only a historic

occasion but also one that rekindled the hopes and

aspirations of the world's peoples. The Millennium

Declaration adopted at the Summit charts out a future

vision for the world in which “the peoples” have

rightfully been given pride of place in our efforts to

reshape the future of humanity. As my President,

President Abdul Gayoom, stated at the Millennium

Summit, “The gap between expectation and result must

be eliminated” (A/55/PV.3) in the new millennium.

The leaders of the world have recognized the

dangers posed to the future of humanity. They have

pledged themselves to a better world — a world that is

more just, a world in which every human being can live

in dignity, a world that rejoices in its diversity of races,

religions and culture. They have pledged to strengthen

the United Nations so that it may have the resources

and capability to deliver the dreams of “we the

peoples” of the world. It now remains for us to

translate these words into deeds, rhetoric to reality.

Action must begin now.

For over two decades, Maldives has managed to

make significant economic and social progress. We are

indeed proud of what we have achieved with the

limited resources at our disposal. A stable political

environment, a supportive international community and

the creativity of our people have combined to help our

economic growth. However, this does not reduce in any

way the vulnerability of our economy. We continue to

have a small and narrow economic base comprising

fisheries and tourism, both of which are extremely

susceptible to external forces that are often beyond our

control. Indeed, the precarious nature of our economy

is readily evidenced whenever the price of tuna plunges

in the international market. Similarly, any downturn in

the economy of major tourist markets or regional

instability casts a long shadow on our tourist industry.

We do not want to wear the least developed

country label for ever. As a small but proud nation, we,

too, would like to be a self-reliant country. National

pride, unfortunately, does not feed our population or

educate our children. It is for these reasons that during

the Economic and Social Council meeting in July this

year, Maldives argued against its removal from the list

of least developed countries, which would undoubtedly

pull the rug from underneath our feet. Indeed, our

successes in national development to date have been

highly dependent on the concessional finance and

developmental assistance we have enjoyed as a least

developed country. The withdrawal of access to such

concessional assistance at this crucial stage of our

development would seriously cripple our

developmental efforts. Our economy will slide

backwards if we lose preferential access to markets.

Our debt burden will become unsustainable.

We take some comfort in the decision made by

the Economic and Social Council to defer the

consideration of the recommendation to graduate

Maldives from the list of least developed countries.

The structural impediments facing our developmental

efforts are so formidable that the country's graduation

at this stage is not justified. Our geophysical

fragmentation, combined with remoteness from major

markets, accentuates our vulnerabilities, many of

which are unique. Maldives is not simply an island

nation; it is a nation of islands. In fact, we have over

1,100 small, low-lying islands. Our population is

scattered over 198 islands, each of which needs to be

provided with adequate administrative and socioeconomic infrastructure. Poor and porous soil

conditions prohibit most agricultural production, while

avenues for economic diversification are extremely

limited. Transport and communication costs are

prohibitive. That is why we have appealed to the

international community to take a closer look at our

situation and re-examine the issue of our graduation

from the list of least developed countries. We hope the

international community will understand and support

our cause.

Since the adoption of the Barbados Programme of

Action, the small island developing States have been

waiting for the international community to meet the

pledges made at the Conference on small island

developing States, while their economic and ecological

challenges have increased manifold. We therefore are

happy that the world leaders at the Millennium Summit

have once again highlighted the special needs of small

island developing States, including the necessity of

developing a vulnerability index that can truly capture

the unique features of these States. The leaders have

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also resolved to implement rapidly and in full the

Barbados Programme of Action and the outcome of the

twenty-second special session of the General

Assembly. These are welcome developments which we

hope will soon be translated into action by the

international community.

Allow me to stress the importance of the early

completion of the vulnerability index called for by this

Assembly. In developing this index, we believe, the

international community should take into account not

only those factors that are similar among the island

States but also those that are unique to particular island

States. For example, while some may be prone to

cyclones and hurricanes, others may be more affected

by beach erosion or coral bleaching.

Maldives has consistently voiced its concerns

over the negative impact of environmental degradation

on small island States. We welcomed the adoption of

the Kyoto Protocol. Unfortunately, the slow pace of its

ratification by the international community continues

to endanger many small island developing States. It is

indeed regrettable that to date only 23 countries have

ratified the Protocol.

We are, however, heartened by the fact that the

Millennium Declaration calls upon the international

community to expedite the early ratification of the

Kyoto Protocol to ensure its entry into force by the

tenth anniversary of United Nations Conference on

Environment and Development in 2002. We call upon

the United Nations to take a leading role in making the

relevant resolve of our leaders at the Summit a reality.

As the President of the Maldives, speaking at the

Millennium Summit, declared,

“Humanity's quest for progress must be

sustainable. We have no right to destroy the Earth.

Ecological damage must be stopped. Global warming

must be curbed. All low-lying countries must be

saved.” (A/55/PV.3)

The protection and security of small States

continue to constitute an issue of critical concern to my

country. Among the 189 Members that compose the

United Nations today, many are small countries which

require protection from a variety of threats to their

security. The Maldives believes that within the sphere

of international peace and security, which has always

remained a high priority on the United Nations agenda,

the security of small States should continue to receive

special consideration as a political and moral

obligation of the international community. The interest

and concern of the United Nations on this issue should

not be allowed to diminish, even in the future.

Globalization is today a reality. No country, large

or small, can swim against the tide of globalization and

the digital revolution that is reshaping the modern

world. Globalization must benefit all countries. Its

costs must be shared evenly by all countries. The least

developed countries must be granted duty-free and

quota-free access to the markets of developed countries

for their exports. They deserve debt relief, including

debt cancellation, in return for demonstrable

commitments to poverty reduction. Development

assistance needs to be increased. We remain hopeful

that the Third United Nations Conference on the Least

Developed Countries, to be held next year, will usher

in a new era of development for the least developed

countries.

During the course of last year, the United Nations

was able to record some important achievements. The

follow-up sessions to the world conferences on women

and on social development reaffirmed the goals of

creating a more just and tolerant society. Modest but

significant progress was achieved by the Review

Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons towards freeing the

world from the scourge of nuclear arms. Efforts

towards the establishment of an International Criminal

Court are moving ahead. A valuable framework for

strengthening United Nations peacekeeping operations

has been laid out by the Brahimi report (A/55/305).

Yet many shortcomings and frustrations continue

to plague the world community. Conflicts based on

ethnic arrogance rage on. Poverty persists at a level

that is morally repugnant. The spread of the HIV/AIDS

pandemic needs to be urgently addressed. International

peace and security continue to be threatened by

terrorism and drug trafficking cartels operating within

and across borders.

A comprehensive and permanent peace settlement

in the Middle East continues to elude us. This is

disappointing. We would like to reiterate our full

support for the cause of the Palestinian people and to

encourage the sponsors of the peace process in the

Middle East to continue to pursue their efforts towards

achieving a lasting peace in the region.

The situation in the Gulf continues to trouble us.

Peace, progress and security in that region can never be

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achieved unless settlements on all unresolved issues

are complied with fully by all the parties concerned in

conformity with the relevant United Nations

resolutions. We would like to reaffirm our unwavering

support for the independence, sovereignty and

territorial integrity of Kuwait. As I mentioned before,

we continue to believe that the United Nations has an

obligation to uphold the security and territorial

integrity of all Member States, including small States.

The Maldives firmly believes that the myriad

challenges facing the world today can be effectively

addressed only in a multilateral framework in which

the United Nations must play the central role. Despite

the many shortcomings it may have, the United Nations

remains the only truly universal organization where

global issues can be addressed. We believe that an

increasingly interdependent world calls for a

strengthened multilateral system with an effective

international legal regime that is respected by all

nations. It is with this conviction that the Maldives has

become a State party to a number of international

conventions and treaties, including the eight

conventions and treaties to which we became party

during the Millennium Summit, taking advantage of the

opportunity offered by the Secretary-General.

We fully support the steps being taken by the

Secretary-General in the process of reforming our

Organization. While there has been much progress,

more remains to be done. Reform of the Security

Council to reflect the political reality of the modern

world is essential if the United Nations is to remain a

credible and effective organization, enjoying the

confidence of the peoples of the world. Reform of the

United Nations must aim at enhancing the legitimacy

of the Organization, making the United Nations more

democratic and transparent, and reinforcing the ability

of the United Nations to uphold equality among

nations.

At the Millennium Summit, our leaders

illuminated the way forward. It now remains for us to

move forward in concert, for the benefit of the peoples

of the world.