Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohamed Asim has returned to Maldives after concluding his 7-day visit to New York.
During his visit to New York, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohamed Asim attended as a panelist at the High Level Meeting that launched the International Decade for Action: Water for Sustainable Development 2018 to 2020. At the event, Foreign Minister Dr. Asim spoke on issues related to water security, including the looming threat of droughts, decreasing accessibility to water and the possibility of future water related disasters. The Foreign Minister highlighted the impact such events would have on the well-being of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in particular, and the steps Maldives is taking to mitigate the consequences, including projects such as Supporting Vulnerable Communities in the Maldives to manage climate-change induced water shortages, which has targeted 49 islands across 13 atolls.
During his visit, the Minister met with the Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres and the President of the United Nations General Assembly Miroslav Lajčák and discussed mutual interests and priorities of the Maldives at the United Nations.
As part of the campaign of Maldives for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council for the 2019-2020, the Minister also met with several Permanent Representatives in New York and discussed bilateral relations and advocated for support towards the candidacy of Maldives.
Additionally, the Minister hosted a luncheon for ambassadors representing the League of Arab States during which he discussed priority issues for the members of the League, including the Palestine issue, the situation in Syria, and the United Nations Development System Reform.
The Minister also met with Members of the African Group, to present the candidature of the Maldives for United Nations Security Council and to strengthen the relationships with African countries. Drawing on the Maldivian experience on post-graduation challenges, the Minister shared the perspectives of Maldives at a side event hosted by the United Nations Foundation on addressing the Least Developed Country (LDC) Graduation Gap.
While in New York, Minister Asim attended a High Level Luncheon hosted by the President of the General Assembly and Under-Secretary General for Economic Social Affairs, as well as a dinner hosted by Tajikistan, Germany, Japan, and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.