When Abdulla Shahid became the President-elect of the 76th UN General Assembly in June this year, he called his tenure the “Presidency of Hope”. In an exclusive conversation with iTV Network, Shahid talked about his priorities and more. Excerpts:
Q: Sir, let us begin with the tagline. What is the meaning and intention behind the “Presidency of Hope”? Anything specific that you want to convey?
A: I came promising a presidency of hope taking into account the challenging times that we have gone through—the pain, the loss, and the devastation due to the pandemic. I felt that it was time that we give hope to the world. In record time, the world came up with a vaccine and it is fair to term it a miraculous vaccine because it is impossible to come out with a Covid vaccine in such record time. The entire 193 countries should come together and celebrate this. We need to make sure that we do not go into a depressive mode. Therefore, I have promised a Presidency of Hope.
Q: You have said that vaccines are the biggest hope. At the same time, we are witnessing vaccine nationalism. How do you see this being addressed?
A: Addressing the Covid-19 pandemic is a serious issue. Now that the vaccine is there, we need to ensure that it is accessible. We need to make sure that vaccine nationalism has no place in this world. My five rays of hope that the presidency is going to be built on will cover the major issues that confront the world today. One, vaccines around, we need to ensure that the world recovers fast from Covid-19. Two, the world is rebuilt sustainably; three, we need to respond to the needs of the planet; four, we need to respect the rights of all; and finally, we need to rebuild the United Nations. These are the five rays of hope on which I will be building my presidency on.
Q: India supported your candidature from Day 1. How do you see India’s role as far as your election as the 76th UNGA President is concerned?
A: You’d recall my contender was from Afghanistan. We are both from the same region, the SAARC region. So, it was a difficult decision for India. However, India came as you rightly said, very early on and backed the Maldives’ candidacy. That sent a very clear signal from the SAARC region that the preferred candidate is from Maldives, which made it easier for many other countries to make the decision. I was able to get a large majority from not only SAARC countries but also from ASEAN and also from different regions. Almost three-quarters of the voting members voted for me during the elections. That is a very large mandate I was able to get. I think the decision early on assisted many countries to make the choice.
Q: Sir, there has been a consistent pitch from India’s side on the UNSC reform. How do you see it?
A: The Maldives’ position on the Security Council reform is very clear. The Maldives was among the first 10 countries way back in the 1970s that proposed the Security Council reform and we have made it very clear that India should be given a position in the UN Security Council.
Q: Since you are in India, there are three topics of interest in the international affairs domain that have been making the headlines. I will come to these one by one. Let’s first start with the South China Sea issue. Do you see the UNGA playing a role as far as these international issues are concerned?
A: According to the UN Charter, the maintenance of peace and security is a direct mandate of the UN Security Council. So, the General Assembly does not have a direct role in it. But the promotion of direct dialogue, promotion of peace, promotion of mutual resolution of issues is something that we all should encourage.
Q: The other topic is Afghanistan. How do you see the Afghanistan issue being taken forward at the international level? Do you see any role being played by the UNGA?
A: The maintenance of international peace and security is the mandate of the Security Council. However, I wish Afghanistan all the best. I am confident that the government and the people desire democracy, peace and progress and I have confidence in the capacity of the government to work with the international community in order to maintain the progress that they have achieved.
Q: Another issue that has made a lot of noise is the Pegasus ‘snooping’ saga.
A: Since I have arrived here, I have been told about it but I am not very much aware of it. The security and privacy of individuals is something that has been continuously compromised. The Internet and digital connectivity that we have is being abused by so many and this is something that needs to be addressed. This is a very serious issue.
Q: I am sure you would agree that one of the big challenges for you would be terrorism. If we look at the region, Pakistan has been on the Grey List for the past three years. How do you see this being tackled under your presidency?
A: Terrorism is a scourge that has no religion, no borders. It is pure evil and the number of innocent lives that it has taken is a clear testimony of it. Not only in this region but in every part of the world, terrorism has been so heartless in killing innocent people. The United Nations has been tasked with coming up with a definition of terrorism in order to get the commission on terrorism finalised. I believe that work has to proceed at a great pace so that a clear message is put through that the international committee is against terrorism. The political will needs to come out so that terrorists and people who fund them will not have any place in the community of nations.