In February 2022, President of the 76th session of UNGA and Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid visited Beijing and attended the torch relay & opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, of which the Maldivian people are proud.
Before visiting China, H.E. Shahid made a solemn appeal to all member states to demonstrate their commitment to the Olympic Truce for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and to undertake concrete actions at the local, national, regional and world levels to promote and strengthen a culture of peace and harmony based on the spirit of the Truce.
After the torch relay, H.E. Shahid tweeted: “The Olympic flame is a symbol of tolerance, solidarity and hope. I was honoured to join the Olympic Torch Relay for the Olympic Winter Games. I call on everyone to come together to cherish the Olympic ideals of friendship, respect and excellence.”
H.E. Shahid expressed that the Olympics is a meaningful opportunity to harness the power of sport to foster an atmosphere of peace, development, resilience, tolerance and understanding. This is at the core of the appeal for the Olympics truce!
When interviewed by the media, H.E. Shahid said the Olympic Games will help showcase human resilience, unity and pursuit of happiness in the face of uncertainties triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. H.E. Shahid commended Beijing's commitment to its mission of hosting "green, inclusive, open and clean" Olympic Winter Games.
During his visit to Beijing, H.E. Shahid thought highly of the organization work of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and said that the "Ice Ribbon" is one of the first venues in the world to use carbon dioxide transcritical direct cooling technology for ice-making, resulting in almost zero carbon emissions.
H.E. Shahid also praised China's Global Development Initiative (GDI). He said, "Essentially, GDI seeks to foster global development partnerships that are more equal and balanced, forge greater synergy among multilateral development cooperation processes, and speed up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development." "It is important for the international community to revitalize the global economy and pursue more robust, greener and more balanced global development."
