Mr. Chairman, Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues
Assalam Alaikum Warahmathullahi Wabarakaathuh,
I would like to begin by extending my sincere gratitude to the Government of Niger for being among the first countries to take this bold step of hosting an event of this magnitude since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The warm hospitality extended to us since our arrival is a testament to the commendable arrangements made for this meeting. My delegation and I are extremely pleased by the excellent preparations and safety measures you have put in place to ensure this important and timely meeting takes place.
Mr. Chairman,
The Muslim Ummah is at a crossroads. The number of Muslims in the world exceed one and a half billion but our problems seem insurmountable. The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused significant social, political and economic consequences worldwide. It is a global crisis, a great challenge and for some, a fight for survival. It is during times like these, the Maldives believes the OIC is a central platform to discuss matters affecting the wider Muslim world.
Excellencies,
The Maldives imposed a series of unprecedented restrictive and social distancing measures to prevent the virus from sweeping across our small community. Despite being a country where the contribution from tourism to our GDP is as high as 75%, we had to take a lot of hard decisions, including the closing of our borders.
Today, we are seeing the results of the Government’s cautious and bold actions. The number of positive cases is declining. Our death rate has In Sha Allah, always remained low. Today, we are seeing a slow, but steady increase in tourist arrivals as well. Nevertheless, the road ahead is full of challenges.
This pandemic has highlighted what was already true—while we are in the same storm, we are not all in the same boat. Those of us that rely heavily on global trade, tourism, commodity exports and external financing, find their boats sinking. The call for assistance from those of us carrying the weight of debt onboard – especially small countries – is deafening. This is the time for countries, organizations and institutions alike, to toss a life buoy to these small and sinking boats, through better and greater access to concessional financing. We also commend G20’s Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the debt service suspension initiative, under the able presidency of Saudi Arabia. The framework will greatly aid our economic responses as we embark on national resilience and recovery.
Excellencies,
Terrorism is the biggest threat to peace and development. We welcome the theme of this important meeting and we unconditionally reject terror in all its forms and manifestations. The evil has to be rooted out. We can only do so with full international cooperation.
Along with terrorism, we need to root out hate speech as well. We are seeing a disturbing wave of xenophobia, racism and intolerance. Social media and other forms of communication are being exploited as platforms for bigotry. The Maldives calls for a mechanism that ensures the coordinated efforts of the OIC and the wider international community, contribute to counter the atmosphere of Islamophobia around the world. Our silence today, will signal indifference to bigotry and intolerance.
Excellencies,
Our brothers and sisters in Palestine are facing even more hardships due to COVID-19. Today, the Maldives once again reiterates our call for a two-State solution based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, where the people of both States can live side by side in peace, security and harmony. The Maldives has always hoped and will hope for long-lasting peace in the Middle East and our aspirations are tied to that of the people of Palestine. The Maldives also calls upon the government of Myanmar to put an end to all forms of systematic violence against the Rohingya people and to comply strictly with Myanmar’s obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law. They must take all required measures to ensure protection to the Rohingya people, including the measures ordered by the International Court of Justice. In February this year, the Government of Maldives became the first State to announce its intention to extend its support for accountability for the acts of genocide committed against the Rohingya people by intervening in the case filed at the ICJ by The Gambia. We look forward to working closely with The Gambia on this important issue.
The issue of Western Sahara is one of the pressing issues facing the Islamic Ummah. The Maldives calls on all parties concerned to resolve the issue amicably and also reaffirms its support to the UN Secretary-General's efforts to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution in line with the principles and objectives of the Charter of the UN and this esteemed Organization.
Excellencies,
Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, also half of its potential. Gender equality, besides being a fundamental human right, is essential to achieve peaceful societies. This is why the Maldives joined the OIC’s Women’s Development Organization last year and took part in the First Ministerial Meeting of the OIC Women’s Development Organization last month. I urge those countries who are not yet members of this organization to join and contribute to the progress and prosperity of an inclusive Islamic Ummah.
Excellencies,
The strength of individuals and nations is a mixture of two elements: knowledge and values. We Muslims are masters of both. What we need to find is our unity. But unity does not mean uniformity; it simply means oneness of purpose. For once, we need to put aside our differences and focus on what we have in common. Our faith, our historic and friendly relations, and our belief in the principle of Shura is what unites us. We need to be stronger than our differences because the promise of tomorrow outweighs the differences of today.
I thank you.