The delegation of Maldives will actively participate in the ongoing 32nd Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), declared Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
In a statement, the ministry revealed that, in accordance with the priority that Maldives accords to the United Nations' Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, the island nation will present constructive recommendations to 14 states which are to be reviewed at the UPR Session. The nations are Afghanistan, Cambodia, Chile, Comoros, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, New Zealand, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and Yemen.
The Maldivian delegation comprises of the Permanent Representative of Maldives to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Hala Hameed, Deputy Permanent Representative Hawla Ahmed Didi, and the First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Maldives to United Nations Office at Geneva, Aishath Shahula.
During the ongoing Session, the Maldivian delegation commended Chile for its progress in promoting the rights of indigenous people. According to the Permanent Mission of Maldives to the UN, the envoy also recommended the state to "strengthen efforts to provide equal access to quality education services, irrespective of socio-economic status".
The delegation further commended Vietnam's efforts to improve its legal and policy framework on gender equality. The island nation further recommended Vietnam to strengthen measures to combat human trafficking, particularly of women and children.
The two-week UPR Session commenced at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 21 and is scheduled to conclude on February 1.
The UPR process aims to improve the human rights situations in all countries, along with addressing violations. It involves a review of the human rights records of all member states of the UN, where each state declares the actions taken to improve the human rights situations in their respective countries.
Maldives is set to be reviewed in 2020, at the 36th UPR Session.
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