Foreign Secretary virtually participates in the Ministerial Meeting

Foreign Secretary, His Excellency Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed today participated in the Ministerial Meeting of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) and the Third Global Conference for Media Freedom. The hybrid meeting was hosted by the Government of Estonia and the Estonian Human Rights Institute.

Speaking at the Ministerial Meeting, Foreign Secretary stressed the importance of raising voices for the protection of journalists who risk their lives to keep the public informed. He also recalled the steps taken by the Government to defend media freedom in the domestic sphere and highlighted that the Maldives has been rising through the ranks of the World Press Freedom Index under the current administration.

Foreign Secretary applauded the work being undertaken by the Coalition to guarantee media freedom and the safety of journalists worldwide, such as in Myanmar and Afghanistan. He then called on all member states to work closely to combat all forms of threats to independent media. He further pledged the continued integrity and dedication of the Maldives to strengthen the response to attacks on media freedom, both online and offline. He concluded his remarks by reiterating the commitment of the Maldives to work together with the Coalition, the United Nations, and other international organizations, as well as the civil society, to protect and to promote press freedom and the rights of the journalists everywhere.

The MFC was formed in July 2019 at the Global Conference for Media Freedom. The Coalition is a partnership of countries working together to advocate for media freedom and safety of journalists worldwide and hold to account those who harm media workers for doing their job. Maldives became a member of the MFC on 11 July 2019 and is a member of the Coalition’s Executive Group.