The Republic of Maldives Becomes A Full Member of OACPS

On Friday, the Republic of Maldives was admitted as the newest member of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). The Maldives’ application to become a full member was endorsed at the 10^th Summit of Heads of State and Government of OACPS held in Luanda, Angola.

The summit which took place from the 6^th-9^th of December 2022 was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid (ODRI), as a special envoy of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih together with the Maldives’ delegation. At the meeting, the Maldives was welcomed into the organization as a new member from the unanimous vote and support from all its Member States.

Post the endorsement of membership, the Maldives also acceded to the Revised Georgetown Agreement of the OACPS, which underlines all the obligations imposed on its member states. To mark the occasion, the Foreign Minister also deposited the Instrument of Accession at a ceremony held on the sidelines of the summit. The OACPS granted the Maldives ‘Observer Status’ in June of 2022.

The Maldives first applied to become a full member of the organization in November 2021. Afterwards, the People’s Majilis approved the application bid of the Maldives on 23^rd March 2023 following which the application was submitted to the OACPS