The Maldives has been identified as one of the seven most important countries on the UN Human Rights Council, in a report by the Human Rights Watch organisation.
The Maldives, together with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, the United States and Zambia were identified has making “a critical difference” during the period of the report, “working both collectively and in parallel to ensure that the Council’s mandate to address and prevent situations of violations was fulfilled more rigorously, recognising the Council’s inaction of the past”.
Negative influences identified on the Council included China, Cuba and Russia, the report noted, which “systematically voted to reject any action of the Council that they deemed too critical of a state, or that was not supported by the state in question. They argued that the Council should be a forum where states meet to discuss human rights issues cooperatively without what they considered to be interfering in the domestic affairs of others.”
In particular, the Maldives was praised for its energetic engagement with the council and its solid voting record.
“Despite having a small delegation, [the Maldives] commitment to human rights and democracy has motivated it to be a part of, or to take leadership on, a significant number of initiatives over the last year. The Maldives was among the first group of signatories calling for the special sessions on Côte d’Ivoire and Libya. The Maldives also cosponsored the resolutions on Iran, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Libya, and Kyrgyzstan,” the report said.
However it identified as “regrettable” the Maldives position on whether to launch an international investigation into war crimes in the final days of the Sri Lankan civil war, “particularly on the question of accountability.”
“The Maldives has been uncharacteristically reluctant to endorse the calls of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General’s panel for the creation of an independent international mechanism to investigate the final months of the conflict. Its close bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka, rather than the credible allegations coming from the ground, has prompted this position,” the report noted.
“The Maldives should revisit its approach on Sri Lanka in order to bring it in line with its otherwise principled approach to human rights at the Council.”
The report also noted that despite its strong record of positive engagement on many issues at the Council, “the Maldives supported the resolution on traditional values and voted with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) against the resolution on human rights, sexual orientation, and gender identity.”
Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem meanwhile said the Maldives was proud that the country was now “internationally-respected for its commitment to human rights and for its influence on the global stage”
“At the time, many people doubted the Government’s decision to put forward the Maldives’ candidature for the UN Human Rights Council, saying we are too small to make a difference. Human Rights Watch’s new report shows unequivocally that such doubts were misplaced. Not only has the Maldives played a central role at the Council, we have also helped make the Council far more effective as the pre-eminent global body responsible for protecting human rights,” Naseem said.
Read the full report (English)
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Why is MN not posting any news regarding the Palestine UN Statehood bid? I don't see you guys putting up any updates of this news despite the fact that this is the most happening news in the world at the moment.
Maldives has always maintained that they should give enough time for the Sri Lankans to finish their report and before anything could be done.
Furthermore provide the actual evidence and not some made up movie and then Maldives may take a difference stance on this.
This is the right stance and why should Sri Lanka be singled out for abuse while other countries who have invaded countries illegally gets away with it?
Maldives knows how much Sri Lanka suffered during the LTTE terror and Maldivians have been killed by the LTTE during their terror bombings.
It is time that we get rid the World of terrorism and kudos for Sri Lanka for wiping it out and lets hope that it remains so.
Sri Lankan war on terror was fought on humanitarian ground; those who more benefited from finishing that war were those alleged victims of Sri Lankan Tamil Community. It will be a violation of human rights to try to divide these too communities who had suffered from terrorism for a long time. Maldives is true champion of human rights and it is proved by their stand on Sri Lankan issue and should maintain their stance not to repeat Sri Lankan bitter past.
Principled stance = in complete alignment with Western goals.
Important country = obedient puppy.
Our foreign policy has become one of almost complete subservience. The West has forced us between a rock and a hard place. When we pursue our own bilateral relations, we are prone to criticism for our status as an unquestioning yes-man on other issues.
The cloud over geopolitics is slowly lifting. Thanks to wikileaks and persistent efforts by academics such as Chomsky, we no longer buy the good vs. evil argument that the western media propagates.
here in maldives we have "special" human rights. because we are "special". kafirs should be killed,it is our human right.
LOl yes ofcourse Maldives would suite the Job well.
In the Maldives, to be Maldivian citizen even when ur born here, u have be to be a Muslim. Who can't drink alcohol or wear sexy cloths. But maldivian citizens are allowed to carry trays filled with alcoholic drinks and serve them to foreigners. This country is heaven for foreign families coming for holidays. But jail for it's citizens. Foreigners have more rights then us in our country. In other words we are elves not to foreigners but to few maldivians who owns the majority of Maldivian economic share as their private businesses. Religion is used as a tool to oppress people. Religion is the key root of corruption. And excluding the rights to religion gives the opportunity for the government and religious scholars to threaten people by openly and publicly punishing people for things like pregnancy before marriage, extre marital sex and disbelieving in religion. This is the situation now but the situation in the future involves from women circumcision to punishment for not attending prayers, eating in Ramadan, showing women skin, to pay zakai and all this. Stoning cutting off body parts. This is what they talk about in the mosques and everyfriday live mosque from national television and every other channel that exists in the Maldives. From young boys to adult men they all attend the prayers and it's only women who are not allowed in this gathering. Apparently they know more about women and children more than women know about their children themselves and their husbands urges and sexual needs.
"first for independent news in the maldives"....ooh the irony....hehehe
Hardly surprising that Maldives would not endorse an investigation into accountability, when here at home we still see senior members of the previous regime enjoying luxuries and the trappings of a corrupt dictatorship. Still we have ex ministers of shame holding diplomatic passports and staying fat on the illegal and immoral gains they made whilst serving in the last regime.
No wonder the 'others' see fit to take on the country and pay themselves way to much for doing so little. Time to cut to the issues that really matter and get the so called honourable ones working together for the good of all.
Instead of sitting in New York and judging others, why can we not have a decent and proper investigation into where all the money went and also the crimes against humanity committed so brutally and with total contempt.
Then and only then will the Maldives be truly 'progressive'.