12th February 2012, Male'; A briefing on the human rights situation, chaired by the President of the UN Human Rights Council and addressed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has been held at the UN in Geneva. During the briefing, H.E. Ambassador Adam, the Maldives Permanent Representative, briefed members and observer States of the Human Rights Council as well as international NGOs on the situation in the Maldives.
The meeting, which was chaired by H.E. Ambassador Laura Dupuy, President of the Human Rights Council, first heard from H.E. Ms. Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who updated members on her visit to the Maldives and on events since. She welcomed the Maldives' willingness to engage with the UN to discuss the situation in the country. She encouraged Maldivian leaders to find a peaceful solution to the crisis and noted that more information will be forthcoming following the visit of a high level UN delegation headed by the UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs. She urged Maldivians to remain calm and not to engage in violence, and emphasized the need for human rights to be respected at all time, referencing specifically the right to freedom of assembly and equal protection under the law. She closed by stating that the United Nations remains a close partner of the Maldives, and that they will continue to extend their support in the period ahead.
H.E. Ambassador Iruthisham Adam then spoke, emphasizing that the Maldives, as a member of the Council, has pledged to uphold the highest standards in human rights protection. She offered members a brief summary of events and outlined the priorities announced by President Waheed, which include: the restoration of public confidence in democratic institutions by upholding the rule of law; the establishment of a National Unity Government; adherence to the constitution; respect for human rights; the continuation of efforts to reform the judiciary; the safeguarding of media freedom; and a commitment to free and fair elections in 2013.
Regarding the clashes in the capital, she reiterated that Government regrets and opposes all violence, and emphasised the importance of ensuring people's right to peaceful assembly.Number of delegations took the floor and welcomed the briefing as both a credit to the Maldives and the Human Rights Council. The UK Ambassador stressed that the UK government was eager to ensure that the new leadership act responsibly, emphasizing that respect for the rule of law and democratic principles must be upheld at all times.
The Ambassador of the European Union referred to the statement made by Baroness Ashton, the EU's High Representative for the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the issue, in which she stressed that it is imperative that the Constitution and the rule of law be respected.
ENDS.