President of the General Assembly (PGA) Abdulla Shahid has stated it is a pride for the Maldives to be at the helm of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). He made the statement in a meeting with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York City on the sidelines of the 76th UNGA.
At the meeting, President Solih congratulated the PGA on his election and wished him success in achieving the Five Rays of Hope that defines his term. Shahid thanked President Solih for the confidence placed in him throughout the PGA campaign and election and said vaccinating the global population against COVID-19 by December of 2022 and ramping climate action are high up on the agenda. Shahid noted the foreign policy of the Maldives is focused on maintaining existing ties and establishing new relations and that the election victory signifies the positive reception of the international community of the Maldivian foreign policy outlook. They also agreed on the need to ramp up the political will to maximise resource mobilisation in regard to equitable access to affordable vaccines and socioeconomic recovery in the face of COVID-19.
The PGA highlighted gender equality as an area of high priority during his term and commended the president for the positive steps he has taken in the Maldives to promote gender equality, noting that 50 percent of Maldivian ambassadors are women. Concluding the meeting, President Solih extended an invitation to Shahid to visit the Maldives at an early date in his capacity as the PGA.