President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih met with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly on Monday.
The meeting took place in New York at the United Nations Headquarters.
During the meeting, President Solih congratulated Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on his re-election and praised him for his exemplary leadership during these trying times of global crisis. He also thanked the UN for establishing the Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund, which will provide much needed assistance to countries all over the world, particularly Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Speaking about vaccine equity, the President stressed the importance of the collective action towards ending the pandemic by supporting initiatives such as COVAX that ensure equitable distribution of Covid-19 around the globe.
President Solih said that the Maldives’ success in containing the virus’s spread has come at a great cost to the economy, as a large proportion of the Government’s revenue is dedicated to health emergency management.
During the call, the UNSG stressed on the importance of easing financial burden on developing countries following the global pandemic. He also stated that he would support the Maldives in the efforts to rebuild and recover from the effects of Covid-19.
At the conclusion of the call, the President thanked the Secretary-General for taking the time to discuss topics of mutual interest, and expressed his gratitude and support for the work the UN is doing in the fight against COVID-19 under the Secretary-General’s leadership.
President Solih is currently in New York to attend the UN General Assembly debate which commences at 18:00 with the Maldives President as the third speaker.
