President Mohamed Nasheed has said the Maldives will use its seat at the UN Human Rights Council to promote human rights in other countries and consolidate democracy and human rights norms in the Maldives.

The Maldives secured a seat at the UN Human Rights Council in May this year. The Human Rights Council is the principal UN intergovernmental body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights. This is the first time that the Maldives has run for and secured a seat from one of the main organs of the UN.

The Maldives will officially assume its seat on 13 September.

Speaking on the occasion in his weekly radio address, the President said, “The Maldives will use its seat to promote human rights that Maldivians now enjoy, for all peoples of the world.

“Those rights were denied to Maldivians until recently. We will use the seat to consolidate democracy in the Maldives, and protect human rights in the Maldives.”

In his weekly address, the President also spoke on the ongoing talks with political parties in determining inhabited islands under local elections law.

Noting that the talks were going very smoothly, the President congratulated party leaders of both Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) for putting forward national interests ahead of political differences.