Reception to mark the 50th anniversary of Maldives independence and Membership at the United Nations
Statement by:
H.E. Ms Dunya Maumoon, Minister of Foreign Affairs
New York, 30 September 2015
Bismillah-ah-rahman-ah-raheem,
Excellencies, colleagues, and friends
Assalaim alaikum and a very good evening
On 26 July 1965, the Maldives became an independent nation.
Exactly a month after, the Maldives submitted its application for membership at the UN.
Nine days ago, on 21 September, we celebrated fifty years of membership.
Tonight, with you, our friends, we are celebrating these historic moments of our country.
This year, we also celebrate key anniversaries with several of our friends present here; and one such relationship is with the United States. The United Nations was one of the first countries to recognise the newly independent Maldives. And this November, we will mark 50 years of diplomatic relations. We highly value the close and enduring friendship that exists between our countries.
Excellencies,
Deciding to join the United Nations was the best foreign policy decision we have made to date. We did so because of our belief in the equality and legitimacy this organisation offers. We believed then, and continue to believe, that this organisation offers the best hope for being treated with dignity, and respect, that every sovereign nation deserves.
There were those that doubted our ability and our capability – and indeed, we were limited those days in what we could do, not even having permanent premises in New York when we became a Member.
But, we have left our mark on the landscape of this organization. We have proven ourselves to not only be viable, but a valuable member of the international community.
During the debate on the admission of Maldives to the United Nations, a permanent member of the Security Council expressed hope that the entry of Maldives, a small state, to the United Nations “will furnish the Members...with information…concerning the special problems confronting a State of this kind”. The Maldives has taken this responsibility very seriously. In the past fifty years, we have continued to raise the profile of the specific and unique challenges that Small Island Developing States face. We embrace the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and are keen to start its implementation. And we continue to advocate for a strong, robust, and ambitious agreement in COP21 in December.
The Maldives over the past five decades has shown remarkable resilience in overcoming our challenges. Our economy, our people, our society has witnessed incredible progress, achieved much success, as evidenced by our graduation from the Least Developed Country status in 2011, only the third country to do so. But there is of course much more to be done. And our people’s expectations remain high.
The threat of climate change is one that we are faced with everyday. The particular challenges associated with being a Small Island Developing State, and that of a Middle Income country are ones we have to learn how to overcome. And our democracy consolidation process is still ongoing – and our commitment to this process remains unwavering.
Excellencies,
Tonight, surrounded by our friends from across the globe, we are assured of the international community’s support to the Maldives, as we continue our development journey, facing new challenges and overcoming obstacles. The UN has been an instrumental partner in our socio-economic success, and a valued friend in times of need. And tonight, as we enter a new phase of our partnership, we stand ready to play a bigger part: contribute more as an equal, and unwavering partner.
Thank you.
