The Maldives has won the election to the post of the President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Maldives candidate, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid won the election with 143 votes out of a total of 191 votes cast at the elections held Monday at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Minister Shahid was nominated as the Maldives candidate for the election by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih for the Asia-Pacific Group’s turn, for the session that would commence on 14 September 2021.
This is the first time the Maldives has presented a candidate for the Presidency of the General Assembly. The victory meant that the Maldives will be only the sixth President from a Small Island Developing State, presiding over the UN General Assembly in the history of the United Nations.
The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, serving as the main deliberative, policy-making, and representative organ of the UN. The President of the United Nations General Assembly (PGA) is responsible for chairing the United Nations General Assembly session for the elected term and is also the presiding officer for this duration. Furthermore, the PGA represents the whole membership at conferences, other international and regional meetings, and can co-host events with Member States and other partners.
The Maldives joined the United Nations on 21 September 1965, soon after gaining independence and has since been an active member.
