Maldives participates in human rights reviews of Sri Lanka and Tonga
15 May: Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations office at Geneva, H.E. Mr. Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed has this week participated in the Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR) of Sri Lanka and Tonga at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Universal Periodic Review is an important new mechanism under which the human rights records of all UN Member States are assessed by their peers in the international community. During the interactive debate on the National Report of Sri Lanka, Ambassador Ghafoor expressed the Maldives’ strong support for the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to strengthen human rights promotion and protection under very difficult security circumstances: “As a close neighbor and friend, having extensively rich and varied historical cultural and social ties that extend over centuries past, Maldives is only too aware of the many challenges faced by the Government of Sri Lanka as it tries to balance its national security needs and ensuring the protection and promotion of its human rights obligations to all its citizen, while combating one of the most ruthless and deadliest terrorist organizations in the world. This situation was further exacerbated by the terrible devastation and destruction caused by the tsunami of December 2004, from which the country is still recovering. Maldives takes note of the many commitments made, and efforts underway, by the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure the continued protection and promotion of human rights of its people. Sri Lanka has taken a number of important steps to better guarantee its human rights obligations, and identified key priority areas of action for the future. It is evident that Sri Lanka will need the continued understanding, empathy, support and assistance of the international community as it tries to achieve the goals it has set forth for itself. My delegation hopes and it confident that the international community will be forthcoming in its response. Maldives especially welcomes the Sri Lankan Government’s commitment to pluralism and notes the recently initiated targeted recruitment of policemen and women from a minority community. We recommend that Sri Lanka pursue this initiative and move to greater integration of all communities in the public and security services. Maldives would like to take this opportunity to wish the Government and people of Sri Lanka an early and everlasting peaceful solution to the deadly conflict that has brought so much misery and suffering to its people, and hindered the realization of the country’s full developmental potential for many years”, concluded the Ambassador. Maldives’ participation in the review of Tonga reflects the common challenges faced by the two countries as Small Island Developing States with limited human and technical resources. Tonga’s Review is the first of a Small Island State. Maldives will be reviewed in late 2010.Ambassador Ghafoor said“ As the Government of Tonga makes clear throughout the report, two of the key challenges it faces are to strengthen human rights protection while respecting and promoting its proud cultural heritage; and secondly to take such steps in the face of extreme human and technical resource constraints. Indeed, such challenges are common to many Small Island States and we urge Members of the Council to be sensitive to this fact when conducting today’s Review. Considering the resource constraints faced by Small Island States such as Tonga, it is vital that relevant international organizations and donor states engage positively and constructively to help the country undertake the reforms that it itself identifies as imperative in its own National Report. In the human rights field, there are considerable resources that can be made available to Tonga in order to strengthen national policy, institutions and practice. For example, United Nations Special Reporters can offer invaluable, impartial expert advice in areas such as press freedom, judicial independence, and women’s rights. Likewise, human rights Treaty Body recommendations can act as a catalyst and guide to encourage international donors and agencies, including the OHCHR, to engage and extend much-needed financial and technical assistance”.
15 May: Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations office at Geneva, H.E. Mr. Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed has this week participated in the Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR) of Sri Lanka and Tonga at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The Universal Periodic Review is an important new mechanism under which the human rights records of all UN Member States are assessed by their peers in the international community. During the interactive debate on the National Report of Sri Lanka, Ambassador Ghafoor expressed the Maldives’ strong support for the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka to strengthen human rights promotion and protection under very difficult security circumstances: “As a close neighbor and friend, having extensively rich and varied historical cultural and social ties that extend over centuries past, Maldives is only too aware of the many challenges faced by the Government of Sri Lanka as it tries to balance its national security needs and ensuring the protection and promotion of its human rights obligations to all its citizen, while combating one of the most ruthless and deadliest terrorist organizations in the world. This situation was further exacerbated by the terrible devastation and destruction caused by the tsunami of December 2004, from which the country is still recovering. Maldives takes note of the many commitments made, and efforts underway, by the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure the continued protection and promotion of human rights of its people. Sri Lanka has taken a number of important steps to better guarantee its human rights obligations, and identified key priority areas of action for the future. It is evident that Sri Lanka will need the continued understanding, empathy, support and assistance of the international community as it tries to achieve the goals it has set forth for itself. My delegation hopes and it confident that the international community will be forthcoming in its response. Maldives especially welcomes the Sri Lankan Government’s commitment to pluralism and notes the recently initiated targeted recruitment of policemen and women from a minority community. We recommend that Sri Lanka pursue this initiative and move to greater integration of all communities in the public and security services. Maldives would like to take this opportunity to wish the Government and people of Sri Lanka an early and everlasting peaceful solution to the deadly conflict that has brought so much misery and suffering to its people, and hindered the realization of the country’s full developmental potential for many years”, concluded the Ambassador. Maldives’ participation in the review of Tonga reflects the common challenges faced by the two countries as Small Island Developing States with limited human and technical resources. Tonga’s Review is the first of a Small Island State. Maldives will be reviewed in late 2010.Ambassador Ghafoor said“ As the Government of Tonga makes clear throughout the report, two of the key challenges it faces are to strengthen human rights protection while respecting and promoting its proud cultural heritage; and secondly to take such steps in the face of extreme human and technical resource constraints. Indeed, such challenges are common to many Small Island States and we urge Members of the Council to be sensitive to this fact when conducting today’s Review. Considering the resource constraints faced by Small Island States such as Tonga, it is vital that relevant international organizations and donor states engage positively and constructively to help the country undertake the reforms that it itself identifies as imperative in its own National Report. In the human rights field, there are considerable resources that can be made available to Tonga in order to strengthen national policy, institutions and practice. For example, United Nations Special Reporters can offer invaluable, impartial expert advice in areas such as press freedom, judicial independence, and women’s rights. Likewise, human rights Treaty Body recommendations can act as a catalyst and guide to encourage international donors and agencies, including the OHCHR, to engage and extend much-needed financial and technical assistance”.
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