Maldives, 2011

Allow me at the outset,

Mr. President, to join previous speakers in

congratulating you warmly on your assumption of

office to preside over the General Assembly at its

sixty-sixth session. Your election is testimony to the

growing confidence of the international community in

the ability and commitment of the smaller Members of

this Organization to play an increasingly active and

responsible role in the United Nations. I would also

like to take this opportunity to place on record our deep

and abiding appreciation to your predecessor,

Mr. Joseph Deiss, for the exemplary manner in which

he guided the work of the sixty-fifth session.

Allow me also to convey my sincere felicitations

to the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban

Ki-moon, on his re-election for a second term. We

remain confident that his experience and leadership

will ensure that this Organization, in which so many of

our hopes and dreams are invested, will be equal to the

many complex challenges facing us during these

tumultuous times.

We are at a defining moment in history. Across

the Middle East and North Africa, popular

pro-democracy uprisings are sweeping away

longstanding dictatorships. We are witnessing the

greatest liberation movement since the fall of the

Berlin Wall. But what is most striking is that it is

happening in countries with predominantly Muslim

populations. The democratic uprisings across the

Middle East prove that Muslims yearn for democratic

rights just as much as non-Muslims.

For me, that is not surprising. After all, we are all

human. We all feel resentment if those in power steal

our county’s wealth. We all feel frustrated if we are

prevented from speaking our minds.

In the fog and confusion of the turmoil we are

witnessing in the Middle East, one thing stands

abundantly clear. The demand for human rights and

democratic values is universal. The march of

democracy is inevitable. And the argument that says

Islam and democracy cannot be united is shown to be

foolish and patronizing.

My country, the Maldives, in some ways was a

harbinger of the Arab awakening. Our revolution began

eight years ago. Then, in 2008, presidential elections

brought peaceful closure to a 30-year authoritarian

regime. Since then, we have had our difficulties

consolidating democracy. There are many hurdles to

overcome.

But I am pleased to report that in the three years

since the elections Maldives is generally stable, safe

and successful. I do not want to sound complacent.

Democracy is a process, not an end goal. Freedoms are

always threatened in one way or the other. A successful

democracy requires more than just the separation of

powers. We also need free media, strong institutions

and a vibrant civil society. Above all, we need patience

to realize the fruits that democracy brings.

Nevertheless, I can report without exaggeration

that Maldives enjoys more freedoms today than at any

other point in our history. I am sure that, with the

support of the United Nations, the peoples of Tunisia,

Egypt, Libya and other countries will also enjoy

democratic freedoms.

We must counter the false perception that people

must choose between devotion to Islam on the one

hand, and the full enjoyment of human rights on the

other. We strongly believe in the compatibility of Islam

and human rights and seek to do our part to promote

understanding and tolerance. That is why we intend to

organize, during 2012, a major international conference

on progressive Islamic jurisprudence and human rights.

With this conference, we hope to renew the concepts of

peace and tolerance, coexistence and inter-faith

harmony in Islam.

As we watch the changes in the Middle East and

North Africa, it has become even more imperative that

the question of Palestine be addressed. The Maldives

stands shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinian people.

The time for Palestine to join the international family

of nations is long overdue. We therefore welcome its

application for statehood. The Maldives calls on all

Members to support the recognition of a Palestinian

State, living side by side and at peace with the State of

Israel. While recognizing the rights of the Palestinians,

we also value and support the right of the people of

Israel to live in peace and security.

We are proud to announce that last week

Maldives acceded to the Rome Statute of the

International Criminal Court. Maldives believes that

human rights must be protected at the national and

international levels alike. We are pleased to join a

growing alliance of States that stand firmly against

11-51384 6

those who believe they can violate human rights with

impunity. In our globalized world, those who trample

human rights or deny basic freedoms will be held

accountable. I am proud that the Maldives has now

taken its rightful place as a defender of international

law and human rights.

As a small island State, we understand that our

means are modest. Nevertheless, we are proud to

contribute to United Nations efforts to promote peace

and security. In this regard, we are pleased to note that

following the approval of our Parliament, the Maldives

is looking forward to becoming engaged for the first

time in United Nations peacekeeping efforts around the

world.

As a newly graduated least developed country

(LDC), we welcome the international support we have

received in our transition. Our graduation from LDC to

middle-income status has not been easy. Based on our

experience, I would like to say that the international

community must continue to help States make a

smooth transition from LDC status. We must not allow

graduation from LDC status, and the removal of

support that comes with it, to undermine a country’s

progress and development.

The Maldives has spared no effort in highlighting

the growing threats posed by climate change. Our

nation is just one and a half metres above sea level. For

us, climate change is no vague or abstract menace, but

a clear and present danger to our very existence as a

nation-State. Over the past year, the world has

experienced an increase in natural and man-made

disasters, which compels us to address the effects of

climate change with more resolutely and urgently. It is

becoming increasingly evident that the international

community needs to be better prepared and equipped to

address the challenges of disaster preparedness and

response.

Cutting global carbon dioxide emissions to a

safer level — below 350 parts per million — is not just

an environmental issue. It is also an issue of national

security. We view the cutting of carbon emissions not

as a burden but rather as an opportunity — an

opportunity not just to protect the climate, but also to

create new jobs and grow our economies. For these

reasons, Maldives is proud to announce that we will

dedicate a minimum of 2 per cent of our total

Government revenue to investments in renewable

energy.

We look forward to the day when the

international community will adopt a legally binding

climate treaty. We welcome the incorporation of the

political pledges contained in the Copenhagen Accord

into the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change process in Cancún. In Durban, we look

forward to helping to advance the process so that we

can reach the elusive prize of an agreement that

protects the climate and the interests of vulnerable

nation-States.

From the very beginning, the sustainable

development of small island developing States (SIDS)

has been inextricably linked to the Rio process.

Unfortunately, the objectives defined in the Barbados

Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy have,

like the goals expressed in the Rio Declaration on

Environment and Development, gone largely unmet.

Now, as we set the goals of the United Nations

Conference on Sustainable Development, we must

include in the agenda a serious review of the progress

made by the international community in addressing the

sustainable development challenges facing small island

developing States. The Maldives hopes that Rio 2012

will provide a platform and create the necessary

impetus to radically reform international support for

SIDS. This should pave the way for establishing a

SIDS category based on objective, transparent and

consistent criteria.

We must also analyse and identify the particular

challenges and needs of SIDS, which are different from

those of other developing countries. We must further

ensure that United Nations programmes are redesigned

to assist with those particular challenges. Maldives

believes that three issues should form some of the key

pillars to be discussed and acted upon in Rio next year.

They are, first, the reform of United Nations support

for the sustainable development of SIDS, secondly, a

political declaration and strategy to give impetus to the

roll-out and mobilization of renewable energy and

green technologies, and lastly, improvements in the

integration of sustainable development principles into

international and domestic policy at strategic and

project levels alike.

We are deeply concerned by the dire food crisis

in the Horn of Africa. As the United Nations, we must

come together to find global solutions to these

challenges and ensure that we work to protect the

7 11-51384

rights of those who are most vulnerable, especially

women and children.

As a country that derives its livelihood from the

ocean, we are also concerned by the growing threat of

piracy in the Indian Ocean. We will continue to work

with the international community in addressing this

growing menace so as to make our maritime areas safe

for international shipping and trade.

The Maldives looks forward to a time when every

country will be democratic, every nation will be free

and the values that underpin this great institution can

finally be realized everywhere. Through the institutions

of the United Nations, we look forward to continuing

to promote equity, fairness and the protection of the

most vulnerable, regardless of where they live or what

religion they practise.

Only through the United Nations can we hope to

forge an agreement that protects our climate — a

prerequisite for all of our future progress and

development. In this volatile and ever-changing world,

there is one institution that provides the stability of

continuity, and that is the United Nations. The United

Nations is more important today than ever before.