The Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives to the Kingdom of Belgium, Geela Ali, has reiterated the Maldives’ strong commitment to deepening engagement with fellow member states of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS). Ambassador Geela Ali delivered these remarks at the 120th session of the OACPS Council of Ministers, held from 12–14 December 2025 in Brussels, Belgium, where ministers and senior representatives convened to review progress and chart future cooperation among member states.
During the session, Ambassador Geela Ali commended the progress achieved by the OACPS under the leadership of Secretary-General Moussa Saleh Batraki, especially in restructuring the Secretariat to better serve member states, enhancing trade ties, and advancing sustainable development agendas. She stressed that these reforms are critical for ensuring that the organisation remains responsive to the evolving needs of its diverse membership. The Ambassador emphasised that the Government of the Maldives remains firmly committed to strengthening engagement within the OACPS framework and to supporting initiatives that guarantee inclusive and sustainable development for all member states.
In her remarks, Ambassador Geela Ali highlighted that for the Maldives, a small island developing state globally renowned for its high-end resort sector and luxury tourism experiences deeper cooperation within the OACPS is closely linked to safeguarding long-term economic resilience. The Maldivian tourism industry, built around world-class island resorts, over-water villas and marine-based experiences, is particularly exposed to climate change, ocean degradation and external economic shocks. By working more closely with African, Caribbean and Pacific partners that face similar vulnerabilities, the Maldives seeks to share expertise in sustainable tourism, environmental protection, and blue economy development, while also exploring new opportunities in trade, investment and connectivity that can benefit its resort industry and broader services sector.
The Ambassador further noted that enhanced collaboration within the OACPS creates a stronger platform for the Maldives to engage collectively with the European Union and other international partners on issues central to the country’s economic model, including climate finance, biodiversity conservation, digital transformation and sustainable tourism standards. For a destination that welcomes travellers from across Europe and the wider world to its resorts, strengthening multilateral ties helps create a more predictable, supportive international environment for tourism investments, hospitality employment, and community-based economic activities that complement the resort sector.
The OACPS, comprising African, Caribbean and Pacific states, was established in 1975 under the “Georgetown Agreement” to promote sustainable development, poverty reduction and greater integration of its members into the global economy. The Maldives became a full member of the OACPS on 9 December 2022 and has since been actively collaborating with fellow member states and the European Union to address global challenges, from climate change and food security to trade, digitalisation and resilience-building. At the 120th Council of Ministers, Ambassador Geela Ali’s intervention reaffirmed that the Maldives intends to remain a constructive and proactive partner, leveraging its experience in tourism and resort development, as well as its broader development priorities, to contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable future for all OACPS members.
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