Maldives becomes a member of the OACPS

The Maldives has become the newest member of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS).

According to the President’s Office, OACPS accepted Maldives’ application to become a full member of the organisation at the 10th Summit of Heads of State and Governments of OACP held in Angola from 6-9 December, with unanimous support from all the member states.

Following the endorsement of the Maldives' membership, the Maldives acceded to the Revised Georgetown Agreement of the OACPS, which outlines all the obligations required of its member states.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid attended the summit as President Ibrahim’s Special Envoy, along with a high-level delegation from the Maldives.

In his official statement at the summit, Minister Shahid said that Maldives and the OACPS members were bound together by the common values and the shared challenges, despite the geographical distance. He also assured the members that Maldives would work with all OACP member states to address challenges by actively contributing to the organisation through experience and exchange.

The foreign minister also thanked all the member states of OACPS for their strong support for the Maldives in the international arena and for welcoming the country to the organisation.

The theme of this year’s OACPS summit was “3 Continents, 3 Oceans, 1 Common Destiny: Towards a more sustainable and resilient OACPS.”

The Maldives applied to become a full member of OACPS in November 2021. The parliament approved the Maldives' application bid in March, 2022. The OACPS then granted the Maldives "Observer Status" in June 2022.

The OACPS consists of 79 member states. Its main objectives are to achieve sustainable development and poverty reduction of its member countries and ensure their progressive integration into the world economy. It was created by the Georgetown Agreement in 1975.