23rd November 2011, Male'; UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Her Excellency Ms. Navanethem Pillay paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Foreign Affairs His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Naseem at the Ministry today.

22nd November 2011, New York; The Maldives was one of over 50 co-sponsors of a United Nations' resolution passed in the Third Committee of the General Assembly in New York calling on Syria to immediately end all violence and human rights abuses against its own people.The resolution was adopted with 122 countries supporting it from all regions of the world, while only 13 countries opposed.

22nd November 2011, Male; The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, H.E. Ms. Navi Pillay, today starts a three-day visit to the Maldives - the first by a holder of the UN's senior human rights office. Ms. Pillay, who is visiting at the invitation of the Government, is expected to use her presence to welcome the country's recent progress in the field of human rights and to urge further steps to consolidate democracy.

18thNovember 2011, Male; The UN Secretary-General, Ban-Ki moon, has used a keynote speech at the 3rd meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum in Bangladesh to applaud the Maldives' leadership on climate change and its vision of a low-carbon future.

14 November 2011, Male'; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H.E. Mr Aslam Shakir, has today, met with a high level Indonesian Parliamentary Delegation, headed by Dr Mohammed Hidayat Nur Wahid, M.A., Chairman of the Inter Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.The meeting was held this afternoon at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

13th November 2011, Male'; The Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E Ahmed Naseem, on an invitation from the Bangladesh Foreign Minister visited Dhaka from 13-14 November 2011 to attend the 3rd Ministerial Meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum organized by the Government of Bangladesh. During the Forum, which was inaugurated by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and attended by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Minister Naseem delivered a keynote address.

1st November 2011, New York - The Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations, Ms. Thilmeeza Hussain, delivered a statement today at the Second Committee of the UN on the issue of Sustainable Development. The Second Committee of the UN focuses on issues of economic growth and development, financing for development, globalization and interdependence and sustainable development.

26th October 2011, New York - The Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations, Ms. Thilmeeza Hussain, delivered a statement today at the Second Committee of the UN on the issue of Palestinian Sovereignty over Natural Resources in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.The Second Committee of the UN focuses on issues of economic growth and development, financing for development, globalization and interdependence and sustainable development.

3 October 2011, New York; The Republic of Maldives and the Republic of Honduras established diplomatic relations, today. The Joint Communiqué formalisingdiplomatic relations between the two countries was signed on behalf of the Government of Maldives, by H.E. Mr Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations and by H.E. Ms. Mary Elizabeth Flores, Permanent Representative of Honduras to the United Nations, on behalf of the Government of Honduras. The ceremony was held at the Permanent Mission of Honduras.

4th October 2011, New York - The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives H. E. Mr. Aslam Mohamed Shakir, currently in New York to attend the 66th UNGA Session, delivered a statement today at the General Debate of the Second Committee.The Second Committee of the UN focuses on issues of economic growth and development, financing for development, globalization and interdependence and sustainable development.

30th September 2011, Geneva;Argentina, Switzerland, Maldives, Morocco, Cote d'Ivoire today secured the establishment of a new UN Special Rapporteur on Transitional Justice. The Special Rapporteur will work with countries which have embarked on a process of democratic transition to promote truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence in addressing gross violations of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law. The Special Rapporteur's work will be particularly relevant to countries like the Maldives which are moving forward into a new era of democracy and human rights but which must also deal with the past and ensure truth, justice and accountability for victims.

26 September 2011, Geneva; The Maldives Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, H.E. Ms. Iruthisham Adam, today spoke at a UN Human Rights Council debate on human rights in Palestine and used her address to urge all States, including the United States and other Western countries, to support Palestine's application to be recognised as an independent sovereign State b y the United Nations. Ambassador Adam recalled that the US is a country built upon a profound belief in the right to self-determination and self-government, and thus it should also support that right in the case of Palestine. Further, she argued that recognition of Palestinian statehood would help achieve a negotiated two State solution to the Middle East conflict.

26 September 2011, Male';Minister of Foreign Affairs H. E. Mr. Ahmed Naseem briefed the media regarding his recent visit to New York to participate in the High Level segment of the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

26th September 2011, Male'; The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, Hon. Ahmed Naseem met Hon. Alistair Burt, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of the United Kingdom for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

24th September 2011 - New York;Today, the Permanent Representative to the UN for the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, called on the Security Council of the UN to approve Palestine's bid for statehood.

24th September 2011, Male'; The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives Hon. Ahmed Naseem, met with Hon. Riyad Al-Maliki, the Foreign Minister of Palestine. In the bilateral meeting that took place in the Permanent Mission of Maldives in New York, Foreign Minister Hon. Naseem thanked the Foreign Minister of Palestine for the kind hospitality that was accorded to him when he visited Palestine earlier in the year. He further stated that he was very honoured to be the first Foreign Minister of Maldives to visit Palestine.

Hon. Al-Maliki then briefed Hon. Naseem on the submission for the membership of the United Nations by Palestine. He further discussed the difficulties they have faced as well as highlighting the support they have received from friendly countries.

Foreign Minister Naseem then briefed the Hon. Al-Maliki on his meeting with the Israeli Foreign Minister on the 21st of September 2011 where Minister Naseem had clarified the position of the Maldives to the Foreign Minister of Israel, and reiterated the support of Maldives for an independent state of Palestine.

He also conveyed a message from the President of Maldives, H.E. Mohamed Nasheed to H.E. Mahmood Abbas, the President of Palestine which stated that the "Palestinians can always count on the support of the Maldives" and that the Maldives is willing to do "everything we can for our brothers and sisters in Palestine".

The Foreign Minister of Palestine thanked the Maldives for their continued support. The Deputy Minister, Hawla Ahmed Didi, the Ambassador-designate of the Maldives to Palestine, Dr. Farahanaz Faizal, Deputy Permanent Representative of Maldives to the UN, Thilmeeza Hussain also participated in the meeting.

ENDS.

23rd September 2011, Geneva- Human Rights Watch today published a major new report on the performance of States at the UN Human Rights Council which identified the Maldives as one of the seven most important States at the Council. The report finds that Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Maldives, Mexico, the United States, and Zambia have played a pre-eminent role in moving the Council forward and in protecting human rights around the world.

20th September 2011, New York City: The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, H.E. Mr. Ahmed Naseem today signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court on behalf of the Republic of Maldives during a Treaty Event at the United Nations Headquarters.

20th September 2011, Geneva; The Maldives today responded to reports on the human rights situations in Yemen and Syria by calling for an immediate end to violence against protesters, and accountability and justice for human rights violations committed in both countries. Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, of which the Maldives is a member, H.E. Ms. Iruthisham Adam also called on the international community to play a more active role in accordance with its responsibility to protect.

20th September 2011, Geneva; The Minister of Justice and Human Rights of the National Transitional Council, H.E. Mr. Mohamed al-Alagi, today addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and used his address to underline the central role that human rights protection will play in the new Libya, and the new government's determination to fully cooperate with international human rights mechanisms. His comments came during a debate on an interim report by the UN Commission of Inquiry into human rights abuses in Libya (COI).