Mariyam Reesha

Joint Secretary

Biography

Ms. Reesha is a career Foreign Service Officer, who is currently serving as the Joint Secretary of the Middle East and Africa Division of the Bilateral Department. As head of the Division, she is instrumental in crafting and directing Maldives’ policy on relationships with countries of the Middle East and Africa.

She was assigned to the Other Indian Ocean Region Division of the Bilateral Department (from October 2022 to April 2023) and prior to that, to the Multilateral Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (from February 2019 to October 2022), where she was entrusted with overseeing the Multilateral Department’s work, which includes engaging with international organisations such as the United Nations and its specialised agencies, the Commonwealth, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), among others. Her responsibilities included providing policy directives and forging close relationships with multilateral institutions, facilitating communications and engagements between line ministries and relevant international organisations, as well as engagement with the UN Country Team. During this time, she was also assigned the portfolio related to counter-terrorism.

Ms. Reesha has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. She started her professional career at the Foreign Investment Services Bureau of the Ministry of Trade and Industries in August 1999, before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 2000. Since then, up until December 2010, she also worked in the Research Division and the Human Rights and Treaties Division of the Ministry, rising in the ranks up to Assistant Director in 2005. Starting from December 2010, after an eight- year period away from the Foreign Service, she rejoined the Ministry in February 2019, as Director for the UN Division of the Multilateral Department and was promoted to the post of Director General a year later.

During her time away from the Ministry, Ms. Reesha worked in the private sector. She also devoted her time to a local NGO, Advocating the Rights of Children, from 2011-2017.

Ms. Reesha completed her degree in International Studies from the Flinders University of South Australia in 2003 and Master of International Law and Politics from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand in 2007.