Abdulla Shahid, (; born 26 May 1962) is a Maldivian politician who served as President of the 76th United Nations General Assembly between 2021 and 2022 and is the current president of the

Maldivian Democratic Party The Maldivian Democratic Party (, ''Dhivehi Rayyithunge Demokretik Paati''; MDP) is the first political party formed in the Republic of Maldives. The party is supportive of the promotion of human rights and democracy in the Maldives. It won ...

. Shahid is the first Maldivian politician to hold that post. He had served as

minister of foreign affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

from 2018 to 2023.

Early life and education

Shahid joined the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

in 1984, then he had his bachelor's degree in political science at the

Canberra College of Advanced Education The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is from Belconnen Town Centre, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC offers undergraduat ...

in 1987. In 1990, he was a member of the advisory board of President

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ( ; born Abdulla Maumoon Khairi; 29 December 1937) is a Maldivian politician, statesman, diplomat and scholar who served as the 3rd president of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008. He previously served as the Minister of Tra ...

until 1994. In the meantime, he took a master's degree in international relations from the

Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. Fletcher is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations. As of 2017, the student bo ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

in 1991.

Career

Shahid served as the Speaker of the People’s Majlis of the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

from 2009 to 2014. He was elected as the Speaker of the People’s Majlis on 28 May 2009, the seventeenth holder of the position. He won 42 votes out of 75 votes. Shahid played a key role in the Maldives’ transition to democracy in 2008. Abdulla Shahid is a member of MDP and was the parliament member for

Henveiru Henveiru () is a district of Malé, Maldives. It is located to the east of Malé Island, and has an estimated area of 59 hectares and 34,012 inhabitants according to the 2022 Census. Location within Malé City Henveiru is on the eastern portion ...

Uthuru (South Henveiru). Prior to his role as an MP, Shahid served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1984, eventually becoming director in 1993. In this capacity, he also headed the International Organizations and Conferences Department, representing the Maldives at meetings and international gatherings including the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

, the

Non-Aligned Movement The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is a forum of 121 countries that Non-belligerent, are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. It was founded with the view to advancing interests of developing countries in the context of Cold W ...

and the Organization of Islamic Conference.

Member of Parliament

In 2000, Shahid was elected as the representative of the

Vaavu Atoll Vaavu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives, comprising the natural atolls of Felidhu Atoll and the Vattaru Reef. It is the smallest administrative atoll in the Maldives in terms of population. This atoll is located from the ca ...

constituency and served two terms as the Atoll’s member. Shahid served in the Special Majlis (July 2004 – August 2008) which drafted the new

Constitution of the Maldives The Constitution of the Maldives () is the supreme law of the country of Maldives. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the Republic of Maldives, sets out the rights and duties of the citizens of the Maldives, and defines the ...

. In May 2009, in the first multi-party parliamentary elections of the Maldives, Shahid won the Keyodhoo Constituency.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Shahid served as

from 23 August 2007 to 11 November 2008, in the presidency of

. He had been appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in 2005. On 15 April 2013, Shahid resigned from the

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (, , DRP) was a political party of the Maldives. On 2 June 2005, the nation's 50-member parliament voted unanimously to allow and operate political parties in Maldives. DRP subsequently submitted its registration on 2 ...

. On 18 April 2013, he announced on Twitter that he had signed up for

UN General Assembly President

On 7 June 2021, Shahid was elected as the 76th President of the United Nations General Assembly with an overwhelming 75 percent majority, with 143 in favour, 48 against, and no abstentions or invalid votes. On 23 December 2021, Shahid tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Maldivian Democratic Party President

After the resignation of MDP's president,

Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed (; born 17 May 1967), also known as Anni (), is a Maldivians, Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Part ...

, Shahid applied for the post of president. He was the only person to apply and thus became the president.

Honours

*: **

Order of the Distinguished Rule of Izzuddin The Most Honourable Order of the Distinguished Rule of Izzuddin (), or more informally the Order of Nishan Izzuddin, is the highest Maldivian honour which may be conferred upon a foreign national. The Order of the Distinguished Rule of Izzuddin i ...

- 2021 *: ** Grand Cross with Silver Breast Star of the

Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella The Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella (''Orden al Mérito de Duarte, Sánchez y Mella'') is the principal order of the Dominican Republic. It was established on 24 February 1931 as the ''Juan Pablo Duarte Order of Merit'' (''Orden al M ...

- 2022 *: **Grand Cross of the

Order of Antonio José de Irisarri The Order of Antonio José de Irisarri (Spanish: Orden "Antonio José de Irisarri") was founded in 1973 by the government of Guatemala. It was named in honour of the statesman and writer Antonio José de Irisarri. The order has five classes. * ...

- 2022

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shahid, Abdulla 1962 births Living people Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party politicians Ministers of foreign affairs of the Maldives Maldivian Muslims Members of the People's Majlis People from Malé Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly Speakers of the People's Majlis The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni University of Canberra alumni Recipients of the Order of Izzuddin Leaders of the Maldivian Democratic Party