UNGA Statements

UNGA75 (2020)

Statement by His Excellency Abdulla Shahid Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Special Session of GA in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Statement by

His Excellency Abdulla Shahid Minister of Foreign Affairs

at the

Special Session of GA in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

December 3, 2020

 

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues,

I would like to thank the Chair of Non-Aligned Movement for taking the initiative to convene this very important meeting. I would also like to thank the Secretary General for leading the UN during this pandemic of unprecedented magnitude.

Multilateralism has been the bedrock of the post-war international order. For 75 years, the United Nations has been instrumental in addressing the challenges humanity has faced – from delivering humanitarian aid to responding to global pandemics, from poverty alleviation to conflict mediation and promoting sustainable development. Today, 75 years later, this organization is once again being tested by the ‘black swan’ event of our time – the COVID-19 pandemic.

This pandemic has left no country untouched, infecting more than 55 million people and claiming over a million lives. None of us anticipated the gravity of this virus and neither were we prepared for a crisis of this scale. The pandemic swept through a world in disarray, leading to catastrophic health consequences, disruption in education, and the stalling of economies, and pushing millions of families into poverty. The loss has been insurmountable.

Mr. President,

When COVID-19 hit the Maldives in March 2020, our first priority was responding to the immediate health crisis. We acted swiftly to impose several restrictive and physical distancing measures to contain the spread of the virus. We announced a nationwide State of Public Health Emergency, closed all government offices, schools and universities, and eventually, imposed a full lockdown. We also took the difficult decision to suspend all on-arrival visas, thus shutting down the lifeline of our economy – the tourism industry. Life as we knew it came to a standstill. Never before had we seen our bustling capital city Male’ so eerily quiet and empty, nor our airport without a tourist experiencing true Maldivian hospitality.

As a Small Island Developing State that is heavily dependent on imports, the closing of our borders severely disrupted our supply chains. We, therefore, began to closely monitor our staple food stocks and stockpiled essential food items. Our empty, luxury resorts were converted into quarantine facilities, and across the country, several flu clinics were established. Despite our best efforts, we were powerless to prevent a community spread.

Mr. President,

COVID-19 has highlighted what has been abundantly clear – while all of us are affected, not everyone is affected equally. In countries such as the Maldives, where tourism, both directly and indirectly, accounts for nearly 75% of our GDP, the loss has been incalculable. Our vulnerabilities to external shocks have been laid bare and our economy is expected to contract by nearly 30% this year alone. This, along with debt burdens, have made our position even more precarious. We welcome the G20’s announcement of a Common Framework for Debt Treatment beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative. These initiatives will greatly aid us as we embark on a path of resilience and recovery. In the same manner, we must ensure equitable access for the COVID vaccine once it is ready. This is a global problem that requires a global solution. We will not be safe until every single country is free from this pandemic.

However, debt relief and vaccines will only take us so far. SIDS such as the Maldives need structural change, innovative facilities as well as greater access to sustainable and concessional financing. This, Mr. President, must be based on a multidimensional vulnerability index.

In order to ensure that our development gains over the last few decades are left intact, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih established a National Taskforce on Resilience and Recovery. The work of this taskforce is rooted in our firm commitment towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensuring that no one is left behind. Despite our best efforts, we cannot do this alone.

Mr. President,

During these unprecedented times, we must draw strength from each other and be resolute in overcoming this crisis together. We are extremely grateful to our partners and friends in the international community who have helped us so far. These examples of international cooperation and solidarity are what will steer us to safety, and ensure that we build back better and more resilient. Indeed, the need for multilateralism has never been greater. I take this opportunity to reiterate the Maldives’ call for greater cooperation in the spirit of multilateralism.

Just as the COVID-19 pandemic ignored all borders and unleashed its devastation without any regard for the responsibility or resilience of a nation, so does climate change. While our commitment to overcoming the pandemic is unwavering, combatting the adverse effects of climate change at the same time will be a mountain that is too steep to climb. Climate change threatens our very existence. Let us ensure that building back better will not only mean fixing our economies but healing our planet as well. Let us ensure that we build back bluer, greener and cleaner.

Mr. President,

Viruses don't respect borders. The only road out of this storm is the path of collective action. We need to heed the lessons this pandemic has taught us and fix the roof before the next storm hits. We must break the “panic-then-forget” cycle once and for all. The principles and values enshrined in the UN Charter are even more important to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. I am confident that we will arise from this storm stronger and more resilient to respond more effectively to possible challenges the future may bring us.

I thank you.

 

Statement by H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Zuhuree, Deputy Permanent Representative at the Plenary on Agenda item 38: Question of Palestine

Statement by
H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Zuhuree, Deputy Permanent Representative
at the Plenary
on Agenda item 38: Question of Palestine
2 December 2020

 

Mr. President,

Thank you for convening this important dialogue on the Question of Palestine in the General Assembly.

My delegation welcomes the Reports of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and the Secretary General under this agenda item. The reports sheds light on the disturbing and uncomfortable truths on the suffering that the Palestinian people are subjected to on a continuous basis.

Mr. President,

For 53 years, the Israeli occupation of Palestine has deprived the Palestinians from exercising their human rights to freedom and peace.  Moreover, the occupation, combined with its illegal settlement activity, the ongoing illegal Gaza blockade, and the threat of further annexation of Palestinian lands by Israel, are subsequently resulting in the further deterioration of the security, human rights and socioeconomic situation of the Palestinian people. The vulnerability of the Palestinian people is further affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory underscores the vital role of UNRWA, the only lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees. We join the Secretary General in urging the Member States to continue their support of UNRWA.

Mr. President,

Across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the occupying power Israel continues to strip away the dignity of the Palestinian people through arbitrary arrests, discrimination, administrative detention, including that of children, restrictions on freedom of movement, violations of the right to worship, and by depriving access to education and health care. The Maldives reiterates its call to the international community to protect and promote the human rights of the most vulnerable in Palestine, in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights laws.

Over 140 countries have formally recognized the State of Palestine, making the wishes of the international community abundantly clear. The annexation plan by Israel is a blatant demonstration of its disregard towards the wishes of the international community for peace.  Israel continues to challenge not only the international community, but the Security Council itself. Israel has not taken any step to abide by the Security Council Resolution 2334. Instead, Israel continues to violate international law, and in direct contradiction to the legal obligation to protect the lives and health of Palestinians under occupation, it further jeopardizes the Palestinian people by its excessive, indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force against civilians. The impunity with which the Israeli forces operate in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is a serious threat to a rules-based international order.

Mr. President,

The Maldives welcomes all productive steps towards a durable peace in the Middle East, but stand assured in our belief that there will be no meaningful peace in the Middle East as long as the Palestinian people are oppressed and under occupation. Thus, in good faith, we cannot condone any recognition of Israel that is not accompanied with the equal restoration and recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people, universally by the international community and by Israel.

Mr. President,

Peace for the Palestinian people is long overdue. The Maldives reiterates its call for the two-State solution, and supports the formation of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine established on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, where the people of both States live side by side in peace, security and harmony. We see this as the only viable solution that can bring lasting peace to the people of Palestine and to the region.

In conclusion, the Maldives would like to assure the people of Palestine that the people of Maldives stands with them, until such time as an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian State is established ending the unlawful Israeli occupation which began in 1967.

I thank you.

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