1 December, 2006 Foreign Minister officially opens Geneva Mission The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Maldives, H. E. Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, yesterday (29 November) officially opened the new Permanent Mission of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations Office at Geneva. The new Mission is headed by H.E. Ambassador Hassan Sobir.

At an official dinner to mark the inauguration of the Mission with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Ambassadors in Geneva, Dr. Shaheed explained the reasons behind the Government’s decision to open the new Mission and promised to work closely with the Maldives’ SAARC partners. He said:

“The Maldives is going through a period of rapid democratic reform that has human rights promotion and protection at its very core. It was therefore vital, in the Government’s view, to have a permanent presence in Geneva, home to so many human rights organizations and the seat of the new Human Rights Council of the United Nations. The Mission’s mandate is clear: to work with the Human Rights Council and other organisations in Geneva to promote real improvements in human rights protection in the Maldives and elsewhere. The Maldives, which has always viewed international developments through a South Asian lens, is committed to undertaking this work in full cooperation with its friends and partners from the SAARC Group”.

Responding to Dr. Shaheed on behalf of the SAARC Ambassadors, Her Excellency Ambassador Sarala M. Fernando, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka, congratulated the Maldives on its decision to open a Mission in Geneva and promised to coordinate and cooperative closely with the Maldives’ representatives in Geneva.
1 December, 2006 Foreign Minister updates UN Human Rights Council on the progress of the President’s democratic reform agenda

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, yesterday (29 November) addressed the Third Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, to update Members on the progress of the President’s democratic reform agenda. The Foreign Minister’s address came at the end of a two-day visit to Geneva, during which he met with the President and Vice-President of the Council, Ms. Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

In his address at the Human Rights Council, Dr. Shaheed explained that the Maldives, like all countries, faces important challenges; “but that what distinguishes and defines the Maldives is the country’s willingness to recognise these challenges and it’s determination to tackle them”.

The Minister went on to list recent achievements on the road to completion of the reform agenda, as defined by the Roadmap. These included, inter alia: the creation of an independent national human rights commission that is compliant with the “Paris Principles”; accession, in September this year, to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its Optional Protocol, and to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the tabling in June of a new, completely revised and updated Penal Code and of a new Sentencing Bill; the tabling in October of a revised Bill introducing a new Criminal Procedure Code; the establishment, in August, of a Police Integrity Commission to increase public confidence in the Police Service.; the establishment, last November, of a Judicial Services Commission to ensure the independence of the judiciary; the establishment of a regulatory framework to protect the right to public assembly in May this year; the establishment of a legal framework for the registration and functioning of political parties; and the tabling, in March, of the media reform package.

Dr. Shaheed went on to express his hope that the long list of developments would provide the Council with a sense of the scale of what the Maldives is trying to achieve: “The Maldives is a Least Developed Country, with a population of 300,000, a small civil service and a limited financial and technical resource base. Yet despite these constraints, we are attempting nothing less than the complete democratic transformation of our country in a little over four years – the kind of transformation, I would argue, that has taken many larger and more developed countries decades if not centuries to complete.”

The Foreign Minister concluded by stressing the Government’s resolution to oversee the successful conclusion of the reform programme. “The size and complexity of the task demands close cooperation between the Maldives and the international community, including the Human Rights Council”. “For our part, the Government stands ready to engage with the Council, in an open, constructive and positive manner” he said.

“In the long history of our small nation, there have probably been very few opportunities to create a liberal democracy in our country. Today we have a unique opportunity. And it is perhaps our best ever chance to usher in a modern democracy in the Maldives” Dr. Shaheed said.

Responding to Dr. Shaheed’s speech, the President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Luis Alfonso De Alba, said that the Council was happy to hear about the wide range of positive developments in the Maldives, offered the Council’s support in the country’s endeavours, and wished the Government success in its efforts to complete the reform programme according to the timetable laid down by the roadmap.

Click here to watch the video of Foreign Minister’s address to the UN Human Rights Council, 29 November 2006, Geneva
6 December, 2006 Ambassador Sobir travels to Cologne Ambassador Sobir travels to Cologne

High Commissioner of Maldives to UK and Ambassador to European Union, His Excellency Mr Hassan Sobir has visited Cologne, Germany on 30 November 2006. Ambassador Sobir met with the Mayor of Cologne Mr Fritz Schramma, and also met with several key travel agents and operators to the Maldives.

With signs of revival in the German economy evident and falling unemployment, together with growing investor confidence, it is expected to boost the tourist traffic to the Maldives. Presently, Germany is the 3rd largest generating market for tourism in the Maldives, accounting for 11.9 % of market share. Germany is also the 3rd largest economy in the world and spearheads a strong environment-friendly policy. It is likely that the newly gained confidence in the German economy will lead to increase in tourist arrivals to the Maldives.
12 December, 2006 Maldives commemorates International Human Rights Day Maldives marked the International Human Rights Day last Sunday. Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year on 10 December, and commemorates the day in 1948 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its formal inception dates from 1950, after the Assembly passed resolution inviting all States and interested organizations to adopt 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.

The theme for this year's observance is the fight against poverty as a matter of obligation by States. Spokesman for the Human Rights Office Jose Diaz explains: “poverty is the most grave human rights challenge that we face collectively. It really mortgages our common future. It’s the cause and the result of multiple human rights violations. It affects developed and developing countries.”

The President of the Republic of Maldives sent greetings to the members of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day. In a letter to the Commission, the President said that a key objective of the efforts by the Government to improve the living standards and provide development opportunities for citizens has been the protection and upholding of human rights. He outlined the relationship between political reform, fulfilling political and civil rights of the people, and the protection of human rights. The President also highlighted the efforts of the Human Rights Commission and relevant Government organisations to promote human rights, and the development of the society in the Maldives.

A number of events were held in the Maldives to commemorate the day.

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives convened a meeting on Sunday morning where statements were heard from the President of the Human Rights Commission of Maldives Mr. Ahmed Saleem and the UN Resident Co-ordinator Mr. Patrice Coeur-Bizot. A presentation on the status of poverty in the Maldives was made by the Executive Director of the Ministry of Planning and National Development Mr Ahmed Mohamed, focusing on this year’s Human Rights Day theme of fighting poverty as an obligation rather than charity. Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed and the Attorney-General Dr Hassan Saeed attended the event.

The Maldives Police Service established a Human Rights Unit within the Police Service on Sunday. The Human Rights Unit was inaugurated by Commissioner of Police Adam Zahir. The purpose of establishing the human rights unit was to raise awareness among the Police personnel of the human rights safeguards under various international human rights obligations, and to cooperate with other institutions in promoting the protection of human rights. Earlier during last month, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Human Rights Unit conducted human rights training for Maldives Police instructors and legal officers in Male’.

On Sunday night, the Minister of Foreign Affairs hosted a discussion forum on human rights at Convention Centre (Dharubaaruge). Presentations were made by the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, Mr AK Pandey, Minister at the President’s Office and Member of the Independent South Asian Commission for Poverty Alleviation, Ms Aneesa Ahmed, Attorney General Dr Hassan Saeed, and President of the Human Rights Commission of Maldives Mr Ahmed Saleem.
16 December, 2006 High Commissioner attends meeting with Nobel Peace Price Winner Professor Yunus

High Commissioner of Maldives to the United Kingdom His Excellency Mr Hassan Sobir has attended a meeting with Professor Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2006. The meeting, held at the House of Lords yesterday, was hosted by the Right Honourable Baroness Uddin, and attended by the Lord Speaker the Right Honourable Baroness Hayman, Ambassadors and High Commissioner based in London, and other guests.

At the meeting, Professor Yunus gave a small presentation about the Grameen Bank and its work of micro-franchising as a means to eradicating poverty.

Professor Yunus, jointly with the Grameen Bank, were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2006 for “their efforts to create economic and social development from below”. He is the first Bangladeshi to win the prestigious award.
18 December, 2006 Maldives Welcomes Establishment of Top UN Torture Prevention Body The Government today welcomed the election, by States Parties to the UN’s Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), of the ten-person international Subcommittee on Prevention, which it hailed as a historic step forward in efforts to prevent incidences of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment around the world.

The OPCAT was adopted by the United Nations on 18 December 2002 and formally entered into force, with the twentieth State ratification, on 22 June 2006. The Maldives was once of the 20 original members States of the OPCAT, having signed the instrument on 14 September 2005 and formally acceded on 15 February 2006. The Maldives remains the only country in Asia to have ratified the Optional Protocol.

The OPCAT establishes the first ever international system of detention monitoring. Under the OPCAT, an international preventative body – the Subcommittee for Prevention – will work with national preventative mechanisms (NPMs) to regularly monitor (including through unannounced visits) places of detention in all States Parties. Based on their findings, the bodies will make recommendations to national authorities for improvements in the treatment of detainees and in the conditions of detention.

The first meeting of the 29 States Parties to the OPCAT was convened earlier today (18 December) at the Palace of Nations in Geneva. The main task of the meeting was to elect the ten members of the first international Subcommittee on Prevention from among the candidates put forward by the States Parties. The ten who were elected are as follows: Argentina, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Mexico, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom and Uruguay.

The newly elected Subcommittee is expected to hold its first session in Geneva from the 19 to 23 February 2007.

Speaking after the meeting, Chief Government Spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef said:

“Today is an historic day for the prevention of torture in the Maldives and around the world.

The election of the Subcommittee on Prevention represents the most important torture prevention initiative since the UN Convention Against Torture and the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture came into force 19 years ago.

For this reason, the Maldives is proud to be one of the original States Parties to the Optional Protocol and to have taken part in today’s first ever meeting of OPCAT members. Both points reflect the high-level of importance that the Government attaches to the prevention of torture and to the broader promotion and protection of human rights.

The Government’s goal is to attain the very highest standards of torture prevention and we welcome international and national scrutiny of our progress towards that goal by the Subcommittee and the national preventative mechanism respectively.

The Government would also like to take this opportunity to wish the new Subcommittee every success in its important work”.
24 December, 2006 Association UK holds Annual General Meeting

The Maldivian Students’ Association (MSA) UK has held its Annual General Meeting last night. The Meeting held at the Maldivian students’ resident in Rosemont Avenue, London was attended by Maldives High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency Mr Hassan Sobir.

At the meeting, outgoing Chairperson Ms Aishath Ali Naaz presented Annual Report on MSA activities for the year. Elections were also held to the Central Committee and Advisory Council posts for the academic year 2006/07. The new Central Committee members elected were:

Chairperson – Mr Mohamed Muizzu
Vice Chairperson – Mr Jawish Hameed
Secretary – Mr Hassan Khalid
Treasurer – Ms Aminath Hauzan Nasir
Student Advisor – Mr Mohamed Samnoon Fuad

The Advisory Council members elected were:

Mr Abdulla Sodiq – Head of Council
Mr Shafiu Ahmed
Mr Ahmed Firushan

High Commission congratulates the new members of the Central Committee and Advisory Council and extends best wishes and support to the elected members of MSA-UK.
29 December, 2006 Over 30 passports issued to Maldivians by HC London in 2006

High Commission of Maldives in London has renewed over 30 passports this year, for Maldivians living in the UK whose passports have either expired or lost.

High Commission has been providing this service for Maldivians living in the United Kingdom, in liaison with the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Male’.

This service was introduced at the High Commission on 1 August 2005 and since then many Maldivian students and families living in the UK and Europe has benefited from the service.

Renewal of passport service is available for Maldivians living in the United Kingdom with long term visa. Passport Renewal Applications can be downloaded from the Department of Immigration and Emigration’s website www.immigration.gov.mv