Maldives has been a member of the United Nations for the past 50 years. In the past 50 years. The contributions made by UN to the Maldives, especially in the health sector, is remarkable. At the time of admission into UN, Maldives was the smallest nation, in terms of size and population.
Even though Maldives was the smallest at that time, and still continues to be a minor player in the global scale, there are strong policies and views Maldives adhere to. As such, Maldives had always advocated for a conflict free globe, free from hunger, starvation and neglect.
This was evident in the speech given by Ahmed Hilmy DIdi the Permanent Ambassador to UN on 11th October 1965. This was also the first time a Maldivian had delivered an address in UN. In his address HIlmy stated that unity and peaceful coexistence should be the way forward for all the nations and that Maldives wished to see a world that ascribes to that. As such, he stressed that Maldives wished to maintain peaceful, non-aligned relations with all nations.
This strategy had not changed over the past 50 years and during that time Maldives had prioritized on issues such as climate change, which had a global impact. Maldives had never intervened in the domestic affairs, religion or culture of any other nation.
In spite of this, the actions of UN on Maldives are deeply disturbing. UN’s Pillai had argued in the Maldivian Parliament against implementing Islamic Shariah, fully well knowing that Maldives is a 100 percent muslim nation. Current resident coordinator had argued against preserving the sanctity of mosques in Raalhugandu area, while preaching on environmental issues.
At this critical juncture, it is vital that we reflect on the future of the UN Maldives relationship, in order to determine the course of our actions.
UN and the Maldives: a look into the past 50 years
