The promotion and protection of human rights is one of the integral pillars of the Maldives’ foreign policy and the government is committed to international human rights aspirations said the Maldives’ Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid on Thursday. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has severely undermined global efforts to promote and protect human rights and exposed the injustices and systemic inequalities inflicted upon humanity over generations,” Shahid said in a statement released on the foreign ministry website on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day. 

He added, in the post-COVID-19 situation, the world needs to adopt “an inclusive human rights centric approach” to address humanitarian needs arising from human rights abuses. 

Showing the Maldives’s resolve for international human rights, Shahid said the country is committed to aligning domestic legislation with international human rights obligations.  

“As we embark on the final stages of ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the Government’s resolve to further our human rights aspirations remain stronger than before,” Shahid added. 

Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid also highlighted the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 saying it has served as “a beacon of hope for humanity” and ensured “freedom and equality” to all irrespective of gender or places of origin.