On the occasion of the sixty-third anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, I extend my sincere congratulations and best wishes to the Secretary-General and the members of the United Nations for their inspiring work in promoting the ideals upon which the organisation was founded. I further express my best wishes to the people of the Maldives for our achievements as a Member State.
This day of celebration is an opportune moment for us to renew our commitment to the recognition of the values and principles enshrined in the United Nations’ Charter.
Today, the Maldives is undergoing a historic phase in its political culture. On 8 October 2008, the Maldives held its first ever multi-party presidential elections as required by the new Constitution adopted under the Government-launched ongoing reform process. We have achieved much of the targets in this reform process and have succeeded in further strengthening the democratic process in the country. I am confident that Maldives will continue to receive the support and cooperation of the UN and Member States in our progressive democratisation and modernisation process.
Today, as we celebrate this happy occasion, I recall with pride and satisfaction the Maldives membership in the organisation for the past forty three years. Over the past four decades the Maldives has been a beneficiary of the developmental assistance of the United Nations system. The Maldives will be graduating from the Least Developed Country status in 2011 and is amongst those few States that are on track to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on target. The Maldives remains grateful to the UN and Members for their continuous cooperation towards our development agenda.
Since gaining membership of the United Nations, the Maldives has time and time again crossed over to new heights in world affairs showing capacity despite its small size. The United Nations continues to be an important platform to the Maldives and other members in building international recognition. The international community is today facing a myriad of issues of global significance which can only be addressed through concerted united action by all Member States. The ongoing issues such as climate change, the food and energy crises as well as international terrorism and drugs trade require that the United Nations play a central role in our efforts to achieve solutions that would make our world safer, more just and equitable. As such, we need to add momentum to the ongoing United Nations reform efforts to make the Organization heed more effectively and efficiently to the new and emerging obstacles of the twenty first century. In this regard, the Maldives believes that the early reforms of the Security Council to be of paramount importance.
The Maldives is among the most ecologically vulnerable nations of United Nations members. The effects of climate change and sea-level rise remains a threat to our country. I am happy that the Maldives has achieved international recognition and support for our advocacy that climate change has a direct effect on human beings all around the world and is, therefore, fundamentally a human issue. I am confident that nations alike will have the firm support and cooperation of the UN and its Members to mitigate and adapt to the dangers posed by climate change.
As one of the smallest and most vulnerable of Member States, the Maldives has always believed in and depended on the founding values of the United Nations, which provide for the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small. Today, as we mark a day of international unification, the Maldives call upon Member States to act collectively to strengthen multilateral efforts in addressing our global challenges.