Maldives

Maldives has never participated in UN peacekeeping operations. The Maldives is made up of a chain of nearly 1,200 islands, most of them uninhabited, which lie off the Indian sub-continent and are vulnerable to a rise in sea levels associated with global warming (BBC 2006ah, par. 1). The main reason why peacekeeping is not in their agenda, is because of “the fear that as sea levels rise, island countries such as the Maldives, and some Pacific territories, will simply be swamped and disappear” (Ibid.). As a result, rising oceans are the main priority for the Maldives.

In the Indian Ocean, the Maldives' 1,200 coral islands lie so low that some were briefly swamped when the December 26 Asian tsunami hit the scattered island state off India (Perry 2005, par. 1). Maldives President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, published "The Maldives: A Nation in Peril" in 1998, outlining the danger of rising seas (Ibid.).

Since then, coastal defences have been built and efforts made to protect reefs and guard against storm surges. But this task is not easy due to the lack of commitment of many countries. "We are doing all we can to protect our nation. However, what we do here in the Maldives does not guarantee us an environmentally secure future," Gayoom told Reuters. "Our safety would only be certain when the international community takes concrete steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions, and specific actions to reduce the threat of sea level rise.” (Ibid.)

Initial variables of the data collection process:

UN/UN peacekeeping policy reform
The Maldives believes that reform of the United Nations must be transparent, balanced, comprehensive and inclusive (Gayoon 2006, 2).

In addition to modernizing the Security Council, the General Assembly and the [ECOSOC] must also be strengthened. These reforms must make the Organization more action-oriented and democratic. A reformed UN must be responsive to the entire membership, and be faithful to the founding principles of the UN. The Organization must be adapted to carryout its mandate in full. There can be no doubt that these can be achieved by gearing the UN to implement all its mandates, decisions and resolutions, without fear or favor. (Ibid.)

The question of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council is a crucial part of the reform process (Ibid.). The Maldives believes the membership of the Council must reflect the realities of the present day world (Ibid.). In this regard, the Maldives reiterates its support for the G-4 proposal on Security Council reform (Ibid.).

Perception of peacekeeping
No record.

Domestic political environment
The Maldives’ graduation from least-developing country status to that of a developing country coincides with an important political phase in the country’s development (Ibid., 3).

Over the past three years, we have been engaged in a major political transformation. These reforms are based on the sustained social and economic progress that has qualified the Maldives for graduation. Nevertheless, those reforms will mean nothing if issues of raising oceans are not properly addressed internationally. On the regards politics, the political reform program that we began in 2003 covers institutionalizing political pluralism and strengthening human rights protection, media freedom and judicial reform. The Maldives are also determined to meet the standards prescribed in international human rights treaties. (Ibid.)

Domestic economic environment
For now, the country is portrayed by travel companies as a tropical paradise with sandy beaches and coral reefs. The economy revolves around tourism (BBC 2004ah, par. 4). Many Maldivians live in poverty (Ibid.).

Military affairs
The armed forces of the Maldives consist of a paramilitary national security service and militia of a few hundred (Thomson 2006i, par. 4). Armed boats patrol the territorial waters to protect the local fishing industry (Ibid.). Military expenditures amounted to $34.5 million in 2001 or 8.6% of GDP (Ibid.).

Foreign policy
The ultimate crisis for the Maldives is truly global—pollution from international industry causes the warming effect around the world (Ibid., par. 7). The Maldivian role, under President Gayoom, has been to call attention to the global warming emergency (Ibid.). Maldives follows a nonaligned policy and is committed to maintaining friendly relations with all countries (BSCAA-State 2006, par. 12). The Gayoom administration supports the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free "Zone of Peace" for the Indian Ocean and surrounding countries (Thomson 2006i, par. 8). This item was initially included in the agenda of the Twenty-Ninth Session of the UN General Assembly in 1974 at the request of Pakistan (Ibid.). Since the inclusion of this item, the government of the Maldives has repeatedly voted in favor of the resolutions adopted under the item (Ibid.).

Additional variables found after the preliminary analysis:

Climate changes
There is a fear that as sea levels rise, island countries such as the Maldives, and some Pacific territories, will simply be swamped and disappear (BBC 2006ah, par. 1).

Independent negotiations taken by DPKO to seek troops
No record.

Independent negotiations taken by contributor countries to engage non-contributor countries
No record.

Meetings organized by other international organizations to engage in dialogue about peacekeeping
No record.