The Maldives has called on the international community to provide financing options to developing countries. The statement was made by the Foreign Secretary of the Maldives Ahmed Latheef at the Summit-level Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Contact Group in response to COVID-19 on post-pandemic global recovery held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
In his statement, Foreign Secretary Latheef highlighted the recovery efforts by the Maldives during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the initiative to provide free vaccination to the vaccine-eligible population. He also expressed conflicts across the world have generated new challenges for smaller countries. In addition, he called on the international community to provide financing options to developing countries especially Small Island Developing States (SIDS). He commended NAM for its efforts during the pandemic and called on its member states to be resilient and unit to combat new and emerging threats.
NAM comprises of 120 member states and is one of the largest international organisations after the United Nations (UN). The Maldives joined NAM on August 15, 1976, and has been an active member of the organisation.