News Desk
The world teeters on the brink. Conflicts rage, climate disasters escalate, and trust in global institutions erodes. The United Nations, despite its flaws, remains humanity’s last best chance to navigate these turbulent waters. But it needs a fresh perspective—not another leader from a global superpower, but a voice from the margins, someone who embodies the resilience of the most vulnerable. Someone like Abdulla Shahid of the Maldives.
Shahid isn’t campaigning for the job of UN Secretary-General—not yet. But picturing him at the helm isn’t just wishful thinking; it’s an overdue reimagining of global leadership. Small island nations like the Maldives live the crises that others debate in conference halls. Their existence is a daily battle against rising seas, economic precarity, and geopolitical neglect. A leader who has navigated that reality doesn’t just understand global problems—he breathes them.
The Maldives is more than a postcard-perfect destination. It’s a frontline for climate catastrophe. With each swelling tide and intensifying storm, its people are reminded that for them, international inaction is an existential threat. Shahid, raised in this crucible, carries that urgency. It’s not a burden—it’s a driving force. He has turned survival into strategy, forging alliances and making the Maldives impossible to ignore.
When Shahid served as President of the 76th UN General Assembly in 2021-22, he branded it a “presidency of hope.” That wasn’t a slogan; it was a mission statement. At a time when the world was struggling to recover from COVID-19, he pushed for vaccine equity, ensuring that nations without political muscle weren’t left behind. While many countries had yet to see a single vial of the vaccine, Maldivians were already receiving their first doses—a testament to his ability to get things done. He championed climate justice, amplifying the calls of nations drowning in its wake. He didn’t just facilitate discussions—he fought to make them matter.
Small island leaders like Shahid possess a rare political agility. Without economic heft or military might, their survival depends on diplomatic agility. They don’t posture; they negotiate. They don’t coerce; they persuade. Shahid has spent decades refining that skill—as a diplomat, a foreign minister, a parliamentarian. He knows how to build coalitions, steer international policy, and push beyond ceremonial platitudes. At the UNGA, he transformed a traditionally symbolic role into a platform for action.
His leadership also stands out in another crucial way: he actively elevates women to positions of power. Throughout his tenure as foreign minister and UNGA president, he ensured that women were placed in key leadership roles, not as tokens, but as trusted decision-makers. He understands that inclusive leadership isn’t just a principle; it’s a necessity.
His voice carries weight because it is anchored in lived experience. In a recent speech at the Think India Forum, he laid out a vision that still echoes: “A new international order will still require commitment to old principles. It will require a strong belief in multilateralism.” That’s not nostalgia; it’s a battle cry. He understands that in a world where crises are borderless, isolation is a myth. “There is no room for ‘going at it alone,’” he declared. “We can only overcome when we work together.” That conviction isn’t theoretical; it’s the product of a lifetime spent negotiating survival.
So why not him? The UN Secretary-General post has historically cycled through leaders from major regions—Europe, Asia, Africa. Yet, no one from a small island state has ever held the position. That’s not just an oversight—it’s a blind spot the world can’t afford anymore. The UN preaches inclusion, yet its top office remains out of reach for those most affected by global dysfunction. If the world is serious about elevating diverse voices, then putting a small island leader in the Secretary-General’s seat isn’t radical; it’s necessary.
If Shahid were to step up, he would bring a climate agenda that is personal, not performative. “Our planet is dying, and so are our ocean ecosystems,” he warned in that same speech. That’s not a platitude—it’s a plea from the edge. It’s the voice of a leader who isn’t here to simply acknowledge problems but to demand solutions. The world has grown weary of empty commitments and diplomatic inertia. Shahid would bring clarity and urgency to an institution often mired in bureaucracy.
Of course, the skeptics will dismiss this idea. The UN is still a power game, where the Security Council’s five permanent members—the U.S., China, Russia, Britain, and France—guard their influence with iron fists. They don’t typically bet on outsiders. Shahid’s name carries more weight than ever in diplomatic circles, and people are taking notice. But tides are shifting. The Global South is rising— India asserting its voice as the Global South. Barbados leading climate reparations debates. Shahid isn’t just part of this momentum—he embodies it. He wouldn’t just symbolize change; he would embody it.
A small island leader at the UN’s helm would send a powerful message: that every nation, no matter its size, matters. That vulnerability isn’t weakness, but wisdom. That leadership isn’t about dominance, but about driving collective action. “At times of upheaval and chaos, we have come together to create calm from chaos, order from anarchy,” Shahid once said. That’s the kind of leadership the world is starving for—a voice from the margins with the vision to pull the world forward.
And let’s not forget: Shahid has been in the UN corridors since he was a junior officer in the Maldives Foreign Ministry. He has spent decades mastering its intricacies, proving that he is not just an outsider but an insider who knows how to work the system. A graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, his educational credentials are as solid as his diplomatic experience. And while his stature may be small, his presence is anything but. The man is a perfect fit, even for the tightest of spaces. In fact, he often jokes about his bald head, showing a self-deprecating humor that makes him all the more relatable. But make no mistake—his boldness far outweighs his frame.
We have stood at crossroads before; after wars, after economic collapses, after natural disasters. Each time, we have chosen renewal over resignation. Why should this moment be any different? Why not imagine something bolder? Shahid hasn’t declared any ambitions, and this is just a thought tossed into the wind. But sometimes, the best ideas start that way—as whispers before they become waves.
