Maldives, 2013

I wish to begin by

extending my heartfelt congratulations to the President

of the General Assembly on his assumption of office

at the sixty-eighth session. I also wish to commend

the Secretary-General on his leadership during what

is a trying and testing time around the globe. We are

confident in his leadership and in the Organization’s

resolve in tackling the many unprecedented challenges

of our time.

Challenges, old and new, seem to be a recurring

theme during this general debate, and it is only right

that it be so: it is when we face enormous challenges and

when we feel most uncomfortable, vulnerable, unhappy

and unfulfilled that we are most likely to think above

and beyond and seek new answers to old questions.

The most pressing challenge for the United Nations

is definitely that of remaining relevant, given the

realities of the twenty-first century, as the Organization

remains the ultimate guarantor of the sovereign equality

of nations and the only international institution to which

all countries, big and small, can look to ensure justice,

freedom and peace. The Maldives, along with other

States, has been calling for the reform of the Security

Council to make it more inclusive, and thereby more

credible and reflective of the voices of not only the

powerful but also the weak, and more representative of

the global population and its geographic distribution.

In addition to the Council’s composition, its working

methods must also be improved — only then can the

United Nations restore its credibility, authority and

legitimacy.

Global challenges are of significant importance

to the Maldives. The situation in the Middle East is

particularly close to the hearts of Maldivians. We are

appalled at the human cost of the conflict in Syria. The

use of chemical weapons at any time, by anyone, and for

whatever purpose must not be tolerated. In that regard,

the Maldives welcomes Security Council resolution 2118

(2013), on the destruction of the chemical weapons in

Syria, which was adopted unanimously. The Council’s

decision will, we hope, take us a step closer to ending

the atrocities taking place there as we speak. Violence

begets violence. We therefore call on both sides of the

conflict to choose the path of dialogue, not of violence.

The Maldives also calls on the General Assembly

to recognize the legitimate aspirations of the

Palestinian people. We urge the Assembly to support

a two-State solution through the establishment of the

State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital,

on the lands occupied in the 1967 war. Is it fair that

Palestinian children grow up without a country of their

own? Is it fair that the Palestinian needs for security,

stability, prosperity and development go unanswered

and unfulfilled because of the continued violence? We

have discussed that issue enough. It is time for action.

We are encouraged by the renewed United States-led

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. It is our earnest hope

that those talks will ultimately lead to a peaceful and

secure future for future generations of Palestine and

Israel.

With the deadline for the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs) fast approaching, the focus of the world

and the Assembly has turned to the post-2015 agenda.

However, accelerating the achievement of the original

Millennium Development Goals remains an urgent

necessity. The Maldives therefore calls on all nations

to fulfil their official development assistance (ODA)

commitments and thereby help the most vulnerable

populations overcome the challenges they face in

achieving the MDGs.

We in the Maldives have made remarkable progress

on the MDGs, having achieved five out of the eight

ahead of the deadline. Although we have not achieved

three of the MDGs, we are proud of the work we

have done towards achieving them, in particular on

the advancement of women. Our country has shown

promise in addressing gender equality, especially in

the area of health and education. It has nearly achieved

universal access to basic health care for women and is

proud of high literacy rates among boys and girls alike.

The Maldives regards improving the socioeconomic

rights of women as an integral part of national

development and a core component of sustainable

development. Unfortunately, we are facing setbacks on

some of the MDGs that have been achieved, and are

even regressing, owing to emerging issues, especially

the loss of ODA as we graduate from the status of a least

developed country (LDC), while persistent challenges

hinder the achievement of the whole set of MDGs.

Therefore, achieving and sustaining the progress on the

MDGs will remain the key development challenge for

the future.

In formulating the post-2015 developmental

agenda, we should be mindful of the fact that MDGs

are multidimensional and interconnected. They are not

an end in themselves or a final solution, but merely a

beginning.

The Maldives is encouraged by the multi-stakeholder

mechanisms that are ongoing within the United

Nations. It is our hope that all of those mechanisms will

be considered holistically and not in isolation, as we

move towards a more concrete post-2015 development

agenda.

It is also our sincere hope that the Millennium

Development Goals will not be left non-fulfilled and

that the post-2015 development agenda and sustainable

development goals (SDGs) are not seen in isolation from

the MDGs. We hope that the sustainable development

goals will be seen as a continuation of the MDGs. The

formulation of the SDGs and the post-2015 development

agenda should complement the achievement of the

MDGs and reflect any gaps therein. We also hope

that no nation will be left without an avenue towards

progression and that no small island developing State

(SIDS) is left behind.

As we talk about the development agenda that

we set for ourselves at the turn of this millennium, I

cannot help but wonder whether the Maldives and other

low-lying island States will survive to see another

century, let alone another millennium. The Maldives

is a small nation with meagre resources that faces

numerous challenges when it comes to food, water

and energy security — a nation that has, despite our

small size, advocated loud and clear for international

actions to address climate change. We have sought to

help the world to see that the right to a safe and secure

environment is a basic human right.

I urge all United Nations institutions to solidify

and strengthen all standards and move towards the

creation of an international mechanism. We need to

strengthen institutions and cultivate a more dependable

and consistent approach towards climate change and

the consequent human rights issues that will become

the most pressing challenges facing humanity.

For example, the report of the Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change presented to world leaders

just last week underscored the need for urgent action on

the issue of climate change. The report concludes that,

in the event of a business-as-usual scenario, low-lying

nations will face grave existential threats.

What does that mean for the Maldives? With 80 per

cent of our small nation barely 1.5 metres above sea level

and with more than 45 per cent of settlements within

100 metres of the coastline, all facets of our lifestyle,

culture and economy depend almost exclusively

on coastal and marine biodiversity. At present, our

biodiversity contributes to 70 per cent of our national

employment, 49 per cent of public revenue, 62 per cent

of foreign exchange, 98 per cent of exports and 89 per

cent of our gross domestic product. Any loss of that

biodiversity will result in catastrophic consequences

for the Maldives.

Those are facts, but we have known those facts for

a long time. What we need now is action. Our inaction

speaks louder than words.

As a nation, Maldives has witnessed the trials of

graduation from LDC status without due consideration

for the inherent vulnerabilities of small island nations.

Simply having a high gross national income or a high

standing in the human development index does not

make SIDS less vulnerable to external shocks, including

emerging threats such as climate change; nor does it

remove the difficulties associated with their smallness

and remoteness, and in achieving economies of scale.

The Maldives is a perfect example of a SIDS

graduating from LDC status based on distorted data

and geographically disassociated global aggregates and

indices. Even upon graduation, our country continues

to face numerous economic, social and climate-change

challenges. That must be a lesson to learn from as we

develop the post-2015 development agenda.

SIDS require differential treatment because of

their unique inherent vulnerabilities. That is why the

Maldives and other countries in the same plight have

been advocating relentlessly to find a comprehensive

definition for SIDS. SIDS need to be given full

recognition within the global governance regimes

and multilateral and financial institutions, and

adequately integrated and institutionalized within the

United Nations system. Doing so would help to target

assistance more effectively. That is also why we support

the inclusion of a SIDS-focused goal in the post-2015

development agenda.

All of the challenges I have outlined are key to

the Maldives. However, the most pressing challenge

to the Maldives remains democracy consolidation

and concerted efforts by external forces to prevent

the emergence of an indigenous democratic system of

governance in the Maldives.

A few weeks ago, the Maldives held its second

multiparty elections. It was one of the most competitive

elections in the country’s history, yet it did not produce

a clear winner. Some of the parties that competed in the

election have identified serious issues with the conduct

of the elections and have asked the Supreme Court of

the Maldives for a ruling. We are expecting the Court

to hand down a ruling in the coming days. The integrity

of the second round of our presidential election cannot

be maintained without ensuring the integrity of the

first round through constitutional means. We await

the Supreme Court’s verdict to continue the electoral

process, allowing for a new President to be sworn in on

November 11.

However, some external forces are attempting to

shape the outcome of what in effect is an internal issue.

The Maldives is small. Our democracy is in its infancy.

Our institutions are young. That does not, however,

mean that larger countries have a right to intervene and

attempt to dictate outcomes in the domestic affairs of

the Maldives.

Non-interference in the internal affairs of

sovereign States is a core principle of the Charter of

the Organization. Yet small States have frequently

been the victims of the predatory designs of larger

countries. It is for that reason that the Maldives

initiated resolution 44/51, on “Protection and security

of small States”, in the Assembly in 1989. The call for

protecting small States from external threats is further

reiterated in resolutions 46/43 and 49/31, recognizing

the particular vulnerabilities of small States to external

threats and acts of interference in their internal affairs.

The resolutions also call on all nations to respect

the principle of territorial integrity and national

sovereignty. Therefore, my delegation trusts the United

Nations to be the ultimate guarantor of the security of

small States such as the Maldives.

Democracy consolidation is not just about holding

elections. Nor is it about having a democratically sound

Constitution. In the Maldives, too, we quickly found

that changing the Constitution, or having a multiparty

election, did not instil democratic values within our

society.

For democracy to be cultivated and consolidated,

the supremacy of the Constitution must be upheld

above all. The institutional deficiencies we face must

be addressed within constitutional provisions, and

the political leadership must sustain an unshakeable

commitment to the principles and values of democracy.

The rule of law must prevail.

Our institutions are young. Therefore,

institution-building and reform remain a key challenge

for the Maldives. More importantly, cultivating a

culture of respect for human rights, tolerance, pluralism

and freedom remains incredibly important as we move

through the democratic journey.

Those are the reasons why the Maldives decided

to present its bid for re-election to the Human Rights

Council. Our membership in the Council over the

past three years has helped the country to take some

unprecedented and bold measures to bring the country’s

national human rights mechanisms up to international

standards. The Maldives believes that its continued

membership would help it to further accelerate ongoing

efforts in modernizing institutions and in promoting a

culture of respect for human rights and democracy in

Maldivian society.

Without democracy, the rule of law, human rights

and peace we would have nothing, we would achieve

nothing, and we would sustain nothing. In order to

tackle the many challenges confronting the Maldives,

we must adopt an inclusive form of governance where

the voices and opinions of even the most vulnerable

and the most disadvantaged in our society are heard.

Without equality and justice, societies cannot prosper

at all.

Democracy consolidation is a long and arduous

journey, but it is one worth making. Our pace may

not be as fast as the international community desires.

But the Maldives is in the process of solidifying

the foundations of our society for development, for

democracy and for the protection of human rights. But

that does not mean that we do not need the international

community’s assistance.

We know better than most that to be an emerging

democracy is to be constantly challenged by volatile,

new and emerging issues. There is no leeway to stumble,

no room to hesitate, and we will not falter in our resolve.

We will strengthen and redefine our institutions. We

will adhere to our Constitution. We will work with our

international partners, and we will move forward as a

nation and as a sustainable society.