MALDIVES APPROACHING ‘CRITICAL JUNCTURE’ WITH UPCOMING ELECTIONS – UN OFFICIAL

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From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 9 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400
Subject: MALDIVES APPROACHING 'CRITICAL JUNCTURE' WITH UPCOMING
ELECTIONS – UN OFFICIAL
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

MALDIVES APPROACHING 'CRITICAL JUNCTURE' WITH UPCOMING ELECTIONS – UN
OFFICIALNew York, May 9 2013 1:00PMThe upcoming elections in the
Maldives represent an important opportunity to move forward with its
democratic transition, a senior United Nations official
<"http://www.un.org.mv/v2/publication_files/_81_Press%20Release_visit%20of%20ASG.pdf">stressed
today, as he wrapped up a three-day visit to the country.

"We are at a critical juncture in the Maldives, and the forthcoming
elections will be an important step in its democratic transition,"
Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, Assistant Secretary-General for Political
Affairs, told reporters in the capital, Malé.

He encouraged all stakeholders to ensure the conditions for free,
fair, inclusive, credible and non-violent elections when voters in the
South Asian nation go to the polls to elect a new president on 7
September.

Multi-party presidential elections were held in the Maldives for the
first time in 2008, ending 30 years of one-party rule. Mohamed
Nasheed, who was elected in those polls, resigned in February 2012 in
contested circumstances, and was succeeded by his former deputy,
Mohammed Waheed Hassan.

The Government set up a National Commission of Inquiry to probe the
events leading to the regime change, with the Commission presenting
its findings last August.

"I stressed that while respecting the Constitution, the credibility of
the electoral process and acceptability of the results depends on
whether all candidates wishing to participate in the presidential
elections are able to do so," said Mr. Fernandez-Taranco.

"I made it clear to all that elections by themselves are not
sufficient to address the long-term social and economic challenges
facing the country," he added. "In the public interest, and with a
view to the day after elections, I called on political leaders to
commit to dialogue and focus their campaigns on needs and concrete
proposals to meet them."

Mr. Fernandez-Taranco also called for the strengthening of the justice
sector and the independence of the judiciary.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers,
Gabriela Knaul, found during her visit to the country in February that
judicial officials there are not sufficiently independent from
external pressures and interferences.

"The concept of independence of the judiciary has been misconstrued
and misinterpreted in the Maldives, including among judicial actors,"
she had stated, adding that there was insufficient dialogue, respect
for the new Constitution created in 2008, transparency and access to
information, and accountability to allow the judiciary to function
property.

She had also noted a relatively low number of sitting female judges,
lack of education and training possibilities for persons in the
judicial sector, and the lack of trust the general public has in the
country's judiciary.

Also wrapping up a visit to the country was the Secretary-General's
Special Representative on Violence against Children, Marta Santos
Pais, who said the upcoming polls provide a key opportunity to
safeguard the rights of children.

"I am confident that the unique opportunity to promote a lasting
consensus around children's well-being and protection will be seized
by Maldives, and this vision will inform the future of this country,"
she said in a statement, following a five-day visit that concluded
yesterday.

The Special Representative expressed her support to national efforts
to address concerns about a 15-year-old girl who was a victim of
sexual abuse and was sentenced to flogging.

"I welcome the expression of condemnation by the President and other
Maldivian authorities, as well as civil society, of the sentence
issued against this girl," said Ms. Santos Pais, who added that the
case is emblematic of the wider situation of violence against
children.

The case also provides an important opportunity to push for change to
prevent similar cases from happening again, she stated. In this
regard, she welcomed the decision of the President to set up a Child
Protection Committee to identify loopholes in the child protection
system, and to present recommendations to overcome existing
challenges.

She noted that the country had a "sound foundation" to effectively
prevent and address incidents of violence against children.
"Nevertheless, incidents of violence remain hidden and concealed, are
sensitive to be raised as a public concern, and difficult to report."

Ms. Santos Pais stressed that it is crucial to prevent social
acceptance of violence against children by investing in
awareness-raising about children's rights amongst the public-at-large
and supporting families in their child-rearing responsibilities to
protect children from violence.

There is also an urgent need to promote capacity-building and training
initiatives for teachers, social workers, law enforcement officials,
judges, prosecutors and other child protection actors, as well as to
ensure the legal prohibition of all forms of violence against
children, including in the home, in care and justice institutions, and
as a form of criminal sentencing, she added.May 9 2013 1:00PM
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