49th Commission on Population and Development

General Debate under Item 4 on national experience in population matters: "Strengthening the demographic evidence base for the post-2015 development agenda"

Statement by:

Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Representative, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations.

United Nations, New York, 12 April 2016

Thank you Madam Chair,

It is my honor to offer my warmest congratulations and welcome for you Madame Chair, and members of your bureau on your elections to the 49th Session of the Commission on Population and Development. Let me also express gratitude to the Secretary General for the reports prepared with regards to this mandate.

Madam Chair,

The 1994 Cairo Conference produced a landmark agreement that placed people at the heart of development.  The ICPD brought real change to peoples lives all over the world. Today, fewer women die in childbirth, more women have access to sexual and reproductive health information, education and work.

In the Maldives, the infant mortality rates that stood at 120.7 per 1000 live births has now decreased to 6 per 1000 live births in 2015. Life expectancy has increased from 47 years to 78 years. Policies have been strengthened and investments increased to foster more opportunities for the youth. Comprehensive laws have been enacted and enforced to eliminate barriers for women to join the workforce; to create opportunities for women's participation in the political sphere and to ensure zero tolerance against discrimination and violence against women.

Twenty years on, there is no doubt that the ICPD commitments have improved the quality of people's lives and laid a critical foundation for a universally relevant sustainable agenda. It is also true that, we still have a long way to go in realizing the promises we made in 1994. Many countries continue to suffer difficulties and social economic disparities, while many people around the world still live below the poverty line. These realities are a major challenge to the global vision of prosperity we all aspire to achieve.

The recently adopted 2030 Agenda echoes the many commitments made in Cairo in 1994.  With this global agenda, we now have a once in a generation opportunity to come together to end global poverty, protect the rights and dignity of all peoples and secure the future of our planet for future generations. The special theme for this year, "Strengthening the demographic evidence base for the post-2015 development agenda" is pertinent and timely.

If the commitment to leave no one behind is to lead to real change, we must be able to identify the most vulnerable, and identify appropriate intervention to improve and monitor their welfare. This calls for the disaggregation and use of population data for planning, evaluation and monitoring of progress. Demographic data lie at the heart of the monitoring and evaluation of any development agenda, as population numbers are the common denominator used in constructing most indicators of human development

Madam Chair,

In the Maldives, efforts are already underway to bring the internationally agreed sustainable development goals home. It has therefore become imperative to strengthen efforts to harmonize and analyze the data that would contribute to more relevant, efficient and action oriented planning and monitoring of the national implementation of Agenda 2030.

The most recent census of Maldives published last year focuses on five key areas; population and households; migration; education; employment; and nuptiality and fertility. The census has been a core source of demographic data for the Maldives, it is the largest national statistical exercise and provides the most comprehensive source of information on population and households in the country.  Maldives has been conducting census since 1911. However, the first nationally integrated census was conducted in 1977. Censuses were conducted every five years between 1985 and 2000. The 2005 census was delayed due to tsunami of 2004, leaving a gap of 8 years between the last two censuses.

Due to our size and geographical disparity, the Maldives, along with other small island developing states, experience difficulties in collecting and analyzing date. Our national experience in collecting demographic data has emphasized the need for new approaches including use of new data sources, the need for ICT and development of statistical skills and expertise of national statistical systems.

Madam Chair,

Considerable progress has been made throughout the world in building and strengthening the capacity of national statistical systems over the past years, but much still remains to be done. Too many countries are still operating under severe financial and human resource constraints. Access to new technology and knowledge must be provided to improve data collection efficiency and quality. Also, we must expand partnerships to promote collaborative research and share best practices.  With the adoption of the Agenda 2030, it has become ever more important to ensure that national statistical systems are adequately financed.  The 2030 Agenda also affords an opportunity to further strengthen our collective capacity in statistical and data capacity.  The Maldives stands ready to avail the opportunities that the 2030 Agenda presents and stands ready to join efforts to enable a true data revolution. We must ensure that everyone is counted, that progress is monitored, and that the furthest behind are reached if we are to leave no one behind.

Thank you.

60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

Statement by:

His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Representative of Maldives to the United Nations

18 March  2016

United Nations, New York

Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, my delegation offers its warmest congratulations and welcome on your appointment as Chair, as well as other members of the Bureau of the 60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Let me also express our gratitude to the Secretary General, for the reports produced with regards to this mandate.

More than twenty years on, we continue to be inspired by the vision laid out in the truly seminal document of the Beijing Platform for Action. More girls are enrolling in schools. More laws are enacted to provide legal safeguards for women. More women are participating in the labor force. Where once violence against women was a silent matter, we see it addressed boldly in laws and public policies.

Yet, while these advancements are important and should be celebrated, the overall picture sadly is, of slow and uneven progress in achieving gender equality and empowerment of women.  Progress on gender equality has been challenged, and in recent years, women are becoming more vulnerable due to increasing radicalisation and violent extremism, rising humanitarian crises and conflicts.  Women and girls suffer most, bearing the far greater brunt of these travesties. Similarly, women suffer most in the event of natural and man-made disasters. Building a just, safe and equal world for men and women is the most important and urgent challenge of the 21st century.

As the Secretary General noted in his remarks to this Commission last year, "women are not just victims". Nor should they be viewed as such. Women as agents of change can bring transformative and lasting change to our societies. The skills, values and abilities of women and girls are one of the most valuable, yet unrealized assets.

The Maldives has in recent years, enforced key legal instruments that encouraged gender equality promoting equal opportunities and equal outcomes for women. In this regard, while the Maldives has never had unequal pay issues, the 2008 Employment Act guarantees maternity leave for working mothers with 90 working days with full pay, as well as flexible working hours. The Gender Equality Bill, presented to the Parliament last month, addresses a holistic framework to ensure gender equality within all spheres of society.  The aim of the Gender Equality Bill is to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender under Article 17(a) of the Constitution, to strengthen the existing legal framework in line with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and to promote gender equality in the Maldives in all spheres of life.

Mr. Chairman,

The adoption of the 2030 Agenda provided new impetus to achieving gender equality.  Deeply embedded within the Agenda is the firm affirmation that gender equality is central to achieving sustainable development. With a stand-alone goal on gender equality, and many provisions on women empowerment across its targets, the Agenda recognizes the powerful ways in which gender equality and sustainable development can reinforce each other.  As we move to turn these ambitious goals into a reality, and deliver on the promises we made to our women and girls, it is important to approach development from a gender as well as rights-based perspective.  The Government of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has already embarked on this journey, with the establishment of the National Committee and the Technical Committee for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The Government is of the firm conviction that the sustainable development goals must be fully integrated to our national development plans and guide our development trajectory.

Mr. Chairman,

If we are to truly realize the rights of women and girls, government policies should be an overarching and holistic strategy for achieving gender equality and women's empowerment. My delegation is pleased to note that on the occasion of this year's International Women's Day, the Government of Maldives has launched a comprehensive Gender Equality Policy for 2016-2021. This Policy is the blueprint to yield lasting results that empower women economically and politically, creating a conducive environment to realize women's rights and shifting the hearts and minds of people towards removing deeply entrenched stereotypes within the society.

Mr. Chairman,

Violence against women is a violation of one of the most fundamental human rights. The Government of Maldives has pledged a zero tolerance policy towards all forms of gender-based violence. In the spirit, the Government of Maldives, has enacted the Prohibition of Sexual Harassment and Abuse Act, the Sexual Offences Act, the Domestic Violence Prevention Act and Social Protection Act in our efforts to raise awareness and create the fundamental necessary provisions for the protection of all women and girls. These frameworks encompass a vast array of efforts from educating children to providing shelters and providing psychosocial support for victims.

Mr. Chair,

Women and girls– who are trapped in poverty, child, early and forced marriage, conflict and disaster stricken areas, cultural norms, lack of education, all hold great potential to advance their societies.  Educated girls, empowered girls and women in position of power are drivers of growth and key to positive and lasting change. As we look ahead to 2030, and the implementation of the global goals, we must place women and girls at the heart of sustainable development. We must remain true to the promises we made in Beijing, Cairo and more recently here within the halls of this assembly. Let us not forget- when we invest in girls and women, we invest in a promising future.

Thank you.