It has been six years since a President of Maldives has attended and addressed at a UN General Assembly. While no Maldivian presidents have remarked at the UN General Assembly in the recent years, the seventh president of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is set to address at this year's UN General Assembly.
The 74th General Assembly of the United Nations is slated to commence on the 17th and conclude on the 30th of September. The UN holds its General Assembly annually, wherein leaders of countries gather to debate about international issues and the continuity of developmental goals.
According to a government official, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will be speaking on the changes in the archipelago's political atmosphere of Maldives in the recent months, and the government's efforts to protect and ensure human rights. The president will also speak on environmental issues.
A Maldives President last addressed at the UN General Assembly in 2014. Former President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik addressed at the assembly as a specialrepresentive of then President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom. President Waheed also addressed at the assembly while he was in Office in 2012, then Acting Foreign Minister Dr Mariyam Shakeela spoke at the assembly the following year.
While former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom did not address at the assembly during his five years in Office, he was represented by former President Waheed during the first year. The foreign ministers at the time represented Maldives the following years, with former ministers Dunya Maumoon and Dr Mohamed Asim having addressed at the assembly on behalf of the president.
While a Maldivian president is attending a UN General Assembly for the first time in six years, many believe Maldives was isolated in the the international community in the past few years. President Solih came to Office with the promise that he would strengthen the country's foreign policy to increase the archipelago's involvement in the international community.
