UN General Assembly
2010

the plight of small island developing States. The economic transition in the Maldives complements an ambitious political transition from autocracy to democracy. Although this is a daunting task, we have been successful in achieving important milestones over the course of these past two years. In fact, the two-year period of transition stipulated in our new Constitution concluded in August. This process resulted in the establishment of our Supreme Court and the creation of other relevant institutions. While our transition process was accompanied by some political discord, it was largely peaceful. Our friends in the international community helped us find peaceful solutions during this somewhat tumultuous period in our politics. I would like to thank all members of the international community for their continued engagement and assistance, and especially President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka for his constructive contributions. The Maldives’ transition to democracy has been accompanied by our evolution from an abuser of human rights to a staunch advocate for them. We are proud of what we have achieved, but are the first to