The President Meets With The United Nations Secretary-General

On Saturday, 4^th March 2023, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih met with the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5). The meeting was held at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) in Doha, Qatar.

During the meeting, President Solih and the Secretary-General hosted lengthy discussions on the involvement of the United Nations in assisting the growth of Maldives in various sectors through its many diverse organizations working in the Maldives. The President noted that the United Nations continues to be a highly valued and vital developmental partner for the Maldives’ trajectory of increased growth seen in the last couple of years.

On a different note, the President highlighted that the UN plays an instrumental role in assisting government agencies too. Speaking further, President Solih elaborated that by improving the capabilities of government authorities, the UN is helping the Maldives realize its objectives for Agenda 30 sooner. The President and Secretary-General also explored avenues of collaboration between relevant UN organizations and public sector groups with the aim of better serving the people.

Additionally, the two parties exchanged dialogues on investments and closing existing infrastructural gaps to increase resilience to climate change and boost tourism as well as expedite the achievement of SDGs. They also ventured into discussions on sustainable trade and fisheries and their potential in reducing Maldives’ reliance on only one economic sector. Moreover, the Secretary-General commended the ‘remarkable presidency’ of the 76^th session of UNGA by the Maldives and stated that the nation encompasses everything that the UN stands for.

President Solih also expressed his praise for the Secretary-General on his decision to convene a ‘Climate Ambition Summit’ alongside the 2023 SDG Summit. In this regard, the President voiced his confidence in establishing the ‘loss and damage’ fund as agreed at the COP27. The meeting concluded with the President commending Secretary-General, António Guterres’ leadership and commitment to combat climate change. He also reiterated the Maldives’ commitment to conserve and maintain the spirit of multilateralism and work closely with the UN.