Third Committee
Advancement of Women
The Maldives Statement

5 October 2018, New York

Thank you, Mr Chair,

My Delegation wishes to thank the Secretary General for the comprehensive Report that was prepared for this agenda item.

The Maldives has always adopted an integrated approach to advancement of women. Through the promotion of values of gender equality and the creation of opportunities for women, the Maldives is fortunate to have an egalitarian tradition, in which house hold decisions are mostly taken jointly by women and men. The Maldives also did not have a tradition of gender discrimination of any kind; we have always had universal adult suffrage; we have always had maternal and paternal leave, which is now guaranteed by law. No discrimination in school enrolment, no discrimination in employment, and now, girls outperform boys in secondary school graduation as well.

Despite the achievements, the Maldives faces significant challenges in the advancement of women. The number of women in executive positions in both Government and private sector is still very few. And too often, women, occupying senior positions in companies and Government are still required to make a choice between their professional careers, and family.  

The Maldives has implemented several policies and programmes to address the challenges. We believe that investment in the future of girls and women are going to reap benefits in the future. A chance for girls and women to realize their true potential, to be treated equally without structural or normative discrimination, and equality before the law.

Through the Employment Act, the Maldives has already taken its steps to ensure that women are guaranteed equal access to employment and equal pay for equal work as men. It also guarantees maternity leave for women and makes it illegal, to use gender or marital status as a basis for terminating employment.

In recent years, the Government has implemented a policy under which at least 30 percent of seats in the Boards State-owned companies would be filled by women. The objective was to ensure that women have an active participation in the decisions of such companies, and thereby ensuring the policies of such companies are more gender friendly.

The Gender Equality Act enacted by the Maldives in the year 2016 has been a pioneering legislation in the country’s history. It creates a legal basis, ensuring equal rights to all, which is also guaranteed by the Maldives Constitution. The Act outlines the role that the Government, business entities, non-governmental organizations and other employers should take to ensure equality and non-discrimination towards women and girls. It also requires the Government and political parties to ensure that equal opportunities exist for women and girls to participate at all levels of political life.

Mr. Chair,

Gender-based violence is a serious problem that women and girls face worldwide. Such violence, like any violence, has long lasting negative impacts on the lives of victims and has major repercussions for their future development.

The Maldives has strict laws and policies as a measure to prevent violence against women and girls. Victims of gender-based discrimination are protected in the face of their perpetrators through laws. As a landmark step to give full protection of the law to women, the Maldives criminalized marital rape in 2014.

Mr. Chair,

The 2030 Agenda recognizes that gender equality is a pre-requisite for progress. As we take steps forward in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, women should be encouraged to reach their full potential with the same opportunities as their gender counterparts. Empowering women will create a generation where everyone is empowered. In this regard, we recognize the need to fast-track efforts in the national and international arena to guarantee that gender equality is achieved everywhere around the world.

I thank you.

First Committee
 General Debate Statement
H E Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, Permanent Representative

8 October 2018, New York

Thank you Mr Chair,

My Delegation wishes to congratulate you and the Members of the Bureau on your election. I assure you that you will have my Delegation’s full support as you steer the work of this Committee.

The primary purpose of the UN, as set out in the very first Article of the Charter, is to maintain international peace and security, and remove threats to the peace, by peaceful means. It is therefore very clear that the Founding Fathers of the UN sought to achieve peace and security through disarmament. The UN Charter’s vision of a peaceful and prosperous world can be achieved only through disarmament; divesting in arms production, and investing in reducing poverty, increasing our ability to adapt to climate change, and in guaranteeing fundamental human rights. That may sound Utopian, but it is the only realistic way forward. Agenda 2030 shows how. That is why this Committee’s work has to be closely aligned with the Second and Third Committees. We should practice what we preach. The holistic approach to peace and development can start at the Committee stages here in the General Assembly.

The Maldives has never produced any armaments or weapons of any type, nor do we have the desire to do so in the future. Maldivians have always believed that improving the quality of life of our people will make the Maldives secure and stronger. A stronger Maldives is good for the security of the Indian Ocean region. The Maldives believes that it is our moral obligation to work towards strengthening international disarmament regimes. The Maldives is a State Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and several other disarmament instruments.

We can make progress in disarmament, especially in the discussions and negotiations in preventing the proliferation of WMDs only if there is trust and good faith among the parties. Recent developments in non-proliferation suggest on the need to uphold the fundamental characteristics of the international State-system, and the principles of multilateralism. There is an absolute need to ensure that the Security Council Resolutions that guide such discussions and decisions, are fully adhered to. The respect for international law must be promoted especially when it is most inconvenient to do so.

The threats that acts of terrorism pose to international peace and security is growing and multiplying every passing year. There is a need for a closer collaboration between the discussions in this Committee and the Sixth Committee to achieve greater synergy in shaping our recommendations in international peace and security.

The Maldives has always argued for mainstreaming non-traditional security threats in the discussions on international peace and security. Threats such as transitional organized crimes, terrorist attacks, as those identified in the General Assembly Resolution 49/31, and emerging threats, such as climate change, drive conflicts. Addressing such issues require going above and beyond the traditional discourse on security and disarmament. The Committee therefore may wish to expand its horizon and examine ways in which such issues could be addressed in a more holistic fashion.

If we are to succeed in the endeavour for a world without nuclear weapons, countries that possess nuclear weapons must dismantle their nuclear weapons programmes and renounce the possession of such weapons. The Maldives believes that we can achieve a world free of nuclear weapons but only through collective efforts of both nuclear weapons and non-nuclear weapons States. We must make global disarmament and non-proliferation a shared responsibility.

I thank you.