Maldives FM calls on intl community to protect Palestinian rights

Maldives on Sunday called on the international community to uphold their obligations to international humanitarian law, to protect the human rights of the Palestinian people.

The Maldivian foreign minister Moosa Zameer made the remarks in a video message on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In his message, Zameer strongly condemned Israel's occupation and the brutal attacks on innocent Palestinian civilians.

"This year's Human Rights Day theme, 'Freedom, Equality and Justice for All', takes into account the strides taken towards creating a free, equal and just society for all. It also acknowledges the undermining of these efforts by a multitude of interrelated global challenges and crises. One such crisis is the ongoing situation in Palestine, a cause that is near to the heart of all Maldivians," he said.

"We need to regroup, re-evaluate our strategies and continue our work with renewed determination. We must reaffirm a commitment to universal human rights."

Zameer noted that President Mohamed Muizzu is committed to protecting the rights of all, especially young people, women and the elderly. Inclusivity underpins the development objectives of the new government, he added.

"We are determined to create a society where all our citizens lead lives of dignity, safety and prosperity. We are dedicated to cultivating a culture of human rights," the foreign minister said. 

"We are committed to constructively engage with international human rights mechanisms. We are ready to improve resilience to climate change, to mitigate into impacts on all our fundamental freedoms. We have quite a journey ahead of us, but I believe that we are equipped with the ambition and the commitment to see it through."