FM: Stop evaluating Maldives based on ‘inappropriate’ benchmarks

Minister Foreign Affairs of Maldives, Dr. Mohamed Asim has appealed to the international community not to evaluate small States such as Maldives based on inappropriate benchmarks.

Minister Asim made the appeal during his address to the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York, early Sunday morning.

Dr. Asim asked that the international community evaluate progress in Maldives against its own progress, rather than against inappropriate benchmarks.

“Value us by our abilities, not our vulnerabilities,” said Asim.

Asim spoke of the challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and stressed the need to update criteria used to rank development by considering how uniquely vulnerable the economies of such States are.

He noted the restrictions to large-scale financing needed for large-scale infrastructure projects – making it difficult to Maintain and sustain development gains.

Maldivian government was recently given an ultimatum by Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which warned of decisive action against the country if it failed to bring about the democratic reforms demanded by them by March, 2017.

In his address to UN General Assembly, Asim spoke about democratization process in Maldives, and the importance of sufficient and capable institutional structures that need to be in place to implement “ambitious agendas”.

He also noted the importance increasing representation of small States within the main bodies of the UN.

“We do not believe that might or size determines destiny; our ability, our motivation, our will to work, and our ideas do,” said Asim.

Asim also announced Maldives’ candidature to the UN Security Council for the one-year term from 2019 to 2020.

“Because we believe this opportunity is necessary, and because we believe we can! Because we believe that it must be intent, it must be resolve, and it must be fairness and the principle of representation that decides these opportunities.”