Iruthisham Adam

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Biography

Her Excellency Iruthisham Adam was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives on 14 April 2026 by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. Prior to this appointment, she served as the High Commissioner of the Republic of Maldives to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as Non-Resident Ambassador to the French Republic and Non Resident Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain. Her Excellency Iruthisham Adam was elected as the Second Vice President of the34th Session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) General Assembly held on 24 November - 3 December 2025.

A career diplomat with over 26 years of service, Minister Iruthisham has been a trailblazer for Maldivian women in diplomacy. She was the first female diplomat from the Maldives to complete the Postgraduate Certificate in Diplomatic Studies under the Foreign Service Programme at the University of Oxford. In October 2009, she made history as the first female from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be appointed as Permanent Representative/Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives to the United Nations Offices in Geneva (UNOG).
During her tenure as Permanent Representative to UNOG, she concurrently served as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Maldives to the World Trade Organization and Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives to the Swiss Confederation (2009-2014). She was also accredited as the first Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives to Germany, Italy, and Türkiye while resident in Geneva. In 2010, she was elected as the Vice Chairperson of the State Parties Conferences to the United Nations Committee Against Torture. In 2013, she was elected as Vice President of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

In addition to her diplomatic service, Her Excellency Iruthisham has held key ministerial positions within the Government of Maldives, serving as Minister of Health from 2015 to 2016 and Minister of Youth and Sports from 2016 to 2018.

Her accomplishments have been recognized through several prestigious awards, including the “Outstanding Lifetime Achiever Award” by Women Icon powered by Times Women (2022), the “Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award” from the University of Westminster (2021), and the British Chevening Award (1998).

Minister Iruthisham holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Public Administration from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, awarded under the Commonwealth CFTC Scholarship. She also obtained a Master’s degree in Diplomatic Studies with distinction from the University of Westminster in London.