Maldives, 2002

Mr. President, it gives

me great pleasure to join others in congratulating you

on your election to the presidency of this session of the

General Assembly. This is not only a recognition of

your wisdom and ability to successfully guide the work

of this important session, but also a demonstration of

the high regard the international community has for

your country, the Czech Republic.

I would also like to take this opportunity to pay

tribute to your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Han

Seung-soo of the Republic of Korea, for the exemplary

manner in which he guided the work of the fifty-sixth

session.

On behalf of my Government, I would like to

extend a very warm welcome to Switzerland on its

admission to the membership of this Organization. We

are eagerly looking forward to welcoming the

Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste into our midst

shortly.

Eight days ago, the friendly people of the United

States remembered, with profound sorrow, the death

and destruction inflicted upon them by murderous acts

of terrorism on 11 September 2001. Those brutal and

cowardly acts sent waves of deep shock and anger

throughout the world. My country was quick to

condemn the attacks and to express its solidarity with

the people of the United States. We shared their grief,

and we extended our sympathies to the American

people. Today, with our modest resources, we stand

with the international community in the global fight

against terrorism and in banishing the scourge of

terrorism from the face of the earth.

My country believes that the United Nations, the

primary global organization responsible for the

maintenance of international peace and security, must

play the central role in the fight against terrorism. We

were encouraged by the swift response of the Security

Council, taken under Chapter VII of the Charter, after

the horrifying attacks on the United States last year.

Total compliance with Security Council resolution

1373 (2001), which details the measures to be taken by

the international community in combating terrorism, is

of utmost importance. My country also believes that it

is essential to strengthen the existing national, regional

and international legal framework against terrorism if

we are to effectively fight this war. The proposed

comprehensive convention on international terrorism

and the international convention for the suppression of

acts of nuclear terrorism need to be finalized as soon as

possible.

The unprecedented economic ramifications of the

events of Nine-Eleven were enormous. Small island

developing States like my own have not recovered

from the adverse economic effects of the events yet,

thus demonstrating the vulnerability of our economies.

Our losses were immeasurable. Nonetheless, recent

developments in the area of international economic

cooperation appear encouraging. The Doha agenda and

the Monterrey consensus offer new hope for achieving

sustainable development. The transformation of those

commitments into concrete action, and achievement of

the Millennium Development Goals depends on forging

a new form of partnership with shared responsibility

between the developing countries and the rest of the

world. We expect the developed countries to fulfil their

part of the understandings, while the developing

countries endeavour to fulfil their obligations.

My country, the Maldives, has made considerable

economic strides in the past. With the continued

assistance of the international community, we have

demonstrated the effectiveness of official development

assistance (ODA). It is true that two decades of

political stability, and sound social and fiscal policies,

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combined with hard work, have improved the standard

of living of our people. We are immensely proud of our

modest achievements and grateful to those who helped

us. Yet, our narrow economic base poses formidable

challenges to our desire for continued economic

growth.

Globalization and trade liberalization have added

new dimensions to our difficulties. The inherent

structural weaknesses of our economy convince us that

the preferential access to markets and concessional

capital we now enjoy as a least developed country have

no alternative form of compensation. Quite simply, we

cannot sustain our development without these special

treatments.

These considerations compel us to strongly resist

the call for the graduation of our country from the list

of least developed countries. We genuinely believe that

the international community should continue assisting

us in our quest to overcome the structural constraints

impeding our arrival at a level of sustainable growth

until we overcome the inherent vulnerabilities of our

economy.

The Committee for Development Policy will

present its recommendations on the question of

graduation of the Maldives from the list of least

developed countries to the substantive session of the

Economic and Social Council in the year 2003. We

urge the Committee to complete the necessary

groundwork, in accordance with all the relevant

Economic and Social Council and General Assembly

resolutions, before it gives its views on this very

important matter.

A fortnight ago, we met in Johannesburg at the

World Summit on Sustainable Development to take

stock of our achievements since the Earth Summit in

Rio 10 years ago. The facts are disappointing and

discouraging. What we have achieved over the past 10

years is far less than what we have not. And, while

apathy keeps progress curbed, environmental

degradation of the world is continuing unabated. If we

are to halt and reverse environmental degradation, we

must not only pledge urgent action but also take it. As

President Abdul Gayoom of the Republic of Maldives

emphasized in his address to the World Summit on

Sustainable Development, for sustainable development

to happen,

“Agenda 21 must be implemented. The Kyoto

Protocol must be universally honoured. The

Barbados Programme of Action must be carried

out. The Millennium Development Goals must be

reached”.

My country, the survival of which is threatened by

climate change, therefore remains concerned over

inaction and indifference with regard to the

implementation of the plans of action for

environmental protection and sustainable development.

Turning to another issue, we have been

witnessing an unprecedented deterioration of the

situation in Palestine and the Middle East. The Israeli

Government has killed the peace process and has

driven the region to the brink of war. Its acts of

aggression and the use of excessive force, coupled with

political assassinations, the destruction of vital

installations and infrastructure, blockades and

economic suffocation of the Palestinian people, are all

designed to frustrate the prospects for an independent

Palestinian State. We condemn these dastardly actions

and call on the international community to persuade

Israel to withdraw from all occupied Palestinian

territories and to respect all relevant Security Council

resolutions. The Maldives has consistently supported

the just struggle of the Palestinian people to regain

their inalienable rights and to establish an independent

Palestinian State with Al-Quds as its capital.

We believe that the United Nations has an

important role to play in bringing the two sides back to

the negotiating table. We recognize the efforts of the

Quartet, and encourage its members, especially the

United States, to remain actively engaged in the search

for a just, permanent and lasting peace in the region.

Disarmament and arms control measures should

remain a high priority on the international agenda. The

international community must unite and act

collectively to strengthen and enforce the non-

proliferation regimes. The Maldives is party to all

major multilateral instruments relating to arms control

and disarmament, including the Treaty on the Non-

Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. We call on

those countries that are not party to those instruments

to accede to them as soon as possible. Furthermore, my

country believes that the establishment of nuclear-

weapon-free zones and zones of peace in various parts

of the world can contribute immensely to the efforts of

the international community in this regard.

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As well, we should vigorously pursue our efforts

and enforce verifiable measures to rid the world of

biological and chemical weapons that can cause mass

destruction. My country, therefore, believes that

bilateral, regional and multilateral approaches must be

reinforced and that they must complement one another

if we are to free the world of those deadly weapons. We

believe also that, on global issues, there should be a

sincere commitment to multilateralism and trust in the

multilateral institutions. The United Nations must not

only be placed at the centre of multilateral processes,

but should remain the principal player responsible for

grappling with these important global issues, which

have such a great bearing on international peace and

security.

In conclusion, allow me to reiterate the firm

commitment of the Maldives to the principles and

purposes enshrined in the Charter of the United

Nations. We firmly believe that the United Nations

requires reform and restructuring. The aim of the

reform process should be the enhancement of the

credibility, legitimacy and universal character of the

O1rganization. This involves the reform of the Security

Council, a new working relationship, and a strong

enforcement regime within the United Nations and

among its Member States.

Together with other members of the international

community, the Maldives will work to uphold and

promote the objectives of the United Nations. We

remain convinced that the United Nations is the only

organization that is capable of creating a more peaceful

and prosperous world for humanity.