The Honourable Hugh Hilton Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation, and President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (PGA),
His Excellency Abdulla Shahid engaged in bilateral talks today at the Ramphal House on a
range of issues of mutual interest. The PGA is currently in Guyana for an official visit which
concludes tomorrow, 10 September 2022. The PGA is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Maldives.
Honourable Minister Todd commended His Excellency Shahid for stewardship of the work of
the General Assembly during his tenure and committed to working closely with the Maldives
at both the bilateral and multilateral levels to build on the work that the PGA undertook during
his presidency and to explore new ways of strengthening the relations between Guyana and
the Maldives.
His Excellency Shahid thanked Minister Todd for the excellent support that Guyana provided
to him in his role as President of the General Assembly and noted the key role that Guyana
played in the process of the establishment of the UN Youth Office. On 8 September 2022, the
UN Member States unanimously decided to establish a UN Youth Office dedicated to
engagement and advocacy for the advancement of youth issues across the United Nations in
the areas of peace and security, sustainable development and human rights.
His Excellency Shahid is the first Maldivian national to serve as President of the General
Assembly and was intent on instilling hope to the membership by taking practical steps to
address several of the challenges that are of concern to the United Nations. He focused on
issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment, youth involvement in decision-making,
financing for development, and climate change issues, among others.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
9 September 2022
