Opening Remarks by UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Catherine Haswell at the Symposium on International Law and Maldives Navigating Geopolitics, Trade and Sovereignty

Rector of Villa College, Dr. Ahmed Anwar, Vice Rector of Villa College, Dr. Ali Najeeb, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Shariah Uza. Asna Ahmed, all supporting Universities, Distinguished Members of the Faculty, Distinguished Professors, Participants, and friends, 

Assalam Alaikum and a very good morning to you all.  

It is with great pleasure and gratitude to be with you as Chief Guest at the "Symposium on International Law and Maldives: Navigating Geopolitics, Trade, and Sovereignty" hosted by Villa College in cooperation with partner universities. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to Villa College for the warm welcome and the opportunity to contribute to this intellectually stimulating gathering.  

As a topic near and dear to my heart as a fellow practitioner of international and public law, I feel very much part of the academic family, with you today.  

I am honoured that this will be my last official speaking engagement during my tenure as UN Resident Coordinator to the Maldives. It is always a great privilege to be with Villa College as always, and in particular the faculty of law and Shariah, today. This absolutely feels like the right place for me to be as I reflect on my four year term, and the new opportunities ahead.  

Similarly, us international lawyers will always opine that there are never enough opportunities to explore the intricate tapestry of international law and its relevance to the Maldives amongst peers, and I applaud the initiative of the faculty for convening a symposium on such topical issues. This symposium reflects Villa’s commitment to fostering a deeper understanding of the legal dimensions that shape the Maldives' interactions with the global community.  

As you might have heard, I am a firm believer in the benefits of the international and multilateral system for the benefit of all countries globally! This system continues to evolve and adjust in line with new developments, at the willingness of Member States to invest in and abide by normative and customary international law.  

Small countries such as the Maldives have directly benefited from what the multilateral system and intergovernmental bodies can deliver, regardless of the size of the country. And this has always been a core enabler of sustainable development globally, and I am comforted by hearing Vice Rector Najeeb and his being a Champion of the SDGs. 

At the same time, we are all navigating unchartered waters globally and regionally. For those avid readers of political history, we see can academically understand the regular rise and fall of global powers, while witnessing it at arguably a faster pace than ever before.  

What is different this time, is we face a period of less assumed adherence to the international norms and frameworks upon which State engagement has been regulated, since the devastation of the second world war that brought our profession soundly into prominence.  

We see rapid change to the means and fora for international engagement between Member States, and we see the greatest fluidity in these relationships in our history since that time.  We see geopolitics and sovereignty changing and morphing with the rise of emerging economies, and their increasing economic and political influence.  

We also start to hear new interpretations of what sovereignty means in this new world. And we have a big question to consider. Such as, does there have to be a compromise between increasing our economic sustainability and our sovereignty?  

A small country, how much do we need to align with others as a larger bloc when negotiating international positions, and will this continue to serve us best in this new world?  

What impact will climate change have on our sovereignty?  

What role does technology play, particularly our rapidly emerging AI (Artificial Intelligence) sector, in how we engage in trade and diplomatic relations?  

What we do know is that we don’t have the lighthouse ahead to guide our path, and there is no playbook to guide us through this uncertainty. 

It is against this global background that we meet today, in the vast Indian Ocean, where we consider new and emerging opportunities for the Maldives to navigate its many options in these unchartered waters.  

Over the next two days, we are set to engage in discussions that span a wide array of topics—from the role of Islamic Sharia in the Maldivian legal system to the implications of climate change on the nation's sovereignty. The diversity of themes reflects the complexity and significance of the issues facing us from where we sit, and I am certain that we have the right people in the room to generate the much-needed wisdom and ideas. I am more certain than ever, as is United Nations – Secretary General, of the critical value of Multilateralism. 

To the scholars, researchers, and practitioners present, your dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and the advancement of legal discourse is commendable.  

I am optimistic that the deliberations and conclusions drawn here will both deepen our understanding and offer practical insights that can shape policies and position the Maldives to both contribute to, and get the very best out, of the international norms and customary laws now and into the future.  

Finally, allow me to make a special note of the initiative of Mohamed Imran for this event. May it be the first of many more.  

Thank you for the warm reception and the honor of joining you today and may these two days be filled with fruitful conversations and rigorous discussions.