The Government of the Maldives and relevant stakeholders have taken part in a debriefing session held by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, to conclude her ten-day visit to the Maldives.
The debriefing session, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 24, was attended by senior officials from government ministries and relevant stakeholders. The session was chaired by Foreign Secretary Ahmed Latheef.
During the debriefing session, Foreign Secretary Latheef expressed gratitude to the special rapporteur for accepting the government’s standing invitation and visiting the Maldives. The special rapporteur thanked the government for extending the invitation and for the cooperation and support provided to her and the team throughout their visit.
At the debriefing session, the special rapporteur provided an overview of the preliminary findings of her visit. While acknowledging the government’s achievements, the special rapporteur noted the enormous challenges the government faces in addressing various human rights-related issues facing the Maldives and expressed willingness to provide full support and expertise to the government in addressing these challenges. Before concluding the session, the foreign secretary reaffirmed to the special rapporteur, the government’s commitment to engage with the international community and the UN human rights mechanisms.
The Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights is a Special Procedures mandate-holder of the UN Human Rights Council that was established in April 2005 by the former Commission on Human Rights. The mandate of the special rapporteur has been extended by the Human Rights Council multiple times, most recently on April 12, 2022, for a further period of three years.
The special rapporteur will present her report to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2023, at the council’s 52nd session.