Permanent Mission of Malta to the United Nations in Geneva

The Permanent Mission of Malta to the United Nations and International Organisations in Geneva congratulates the Hon. Chris Fearne on his appointment as Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Malta, today.

We look forward to working closely with Minister Fearne across Malta's multilateral engagements in Geneva, spanning human rights, global health, labour standards, humanitarian affairs, and emerging technologies.

We also extend our appreciation to Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg for his engagement with Malta's work in Geneva and his commitment to advancing our multilateral agenda throughout his tenure as Foreign Minister.

Malta’s Permanent Representative Randolph De Battista held a meeting with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih.

Discussions centred on the critical importance of durable solutions to move people out of long-term dependency on international protection and toward rebuilt, stable lives.

Malta 🇲🇹 reaffirms its strong commitment to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and to the people its mandate exists to protect.

Yesterday, our Mission hosted an official side event: Advancing Complex Care in a Digital Era - Opportunities for Small States, alongside co-hosts the 🇸🇨 and the 🇲🇻

Small states are never “small” when it comes to ideas, resilience or leadership. Yesterday’s discussion proved exactly that.

We were honoured to welcome participants from across regions, Europe, the Caribbean, the Pacific, Africa and beyond, all united by a shared conviction: that small countries have an extraordinary capacity to innovate, collaborate, and shape global health policy.

The session produced concrete proposals on how to take small state collaboration to the next level. We look forward to carrying this momentum forward.

A heartfelt thank you to all who made this possible:
🔹 Hans Kluge, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe - an indefatigable champion for small countries
🔹 Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, Director at WHO/Europe, whose vision helped establish the very Collaborating Centre that underpins this work, and who moderated with her trademark warmth and precision
🔹 Sandra Gallina, Director General for Health at the European Commission, whose contribution and engagement enriched the discussion
🔹 The health ministers and representatives from across regions who joined us and contributed with energy, insight and concrete ideas
🔹 The dedicated team at Malta’s Ministry for Health and Active Ageing
🔹 The staff of the Permanent Mission, whose hard work behind the scenes made the day run seamlessly.

🇲🇹 believes that when small countries come together, they do not just find solutions for themselves, they find solutions for the world.

📸 Austin Tufigno

Today at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Malta’s Permanent Representative Randolph De Battista, delivered Malta’s national statement 🇲🇹

“Health is not a reward for peace. It is the foundation on which peace is built. Every delegation in this hall represents people who simply want to live well, and grow old, and see their children thrive. That is what we are here to protect.”

Despite the challenges the world faces today Malta’s belief in multilateralism and the central role of the World Health Organization (WHO) remains unshaken.

The statement reaffirmed Malta’s commitment to:

🔹 The protection of civilians and health workers in conflict zones, and full respect for international humanitarian law.
🔹 Strong, adequately financed health systems and universal health coverage through primary health care.
🔹 Mental health, child and adolescent health, and patient safety as national priorities.
🔹 The responsible use of digital health and AI in service of people, not systems.
🔹 Concrete action on NCDs, mental health and antimicrobial resistance.
🔹 A strengthened WHO Global Health Architecture and a fair Pandemic Agreement.

As we celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia this weekend, we stand firmly with LGBTIQ+ people everywhere.

The theme for this year is “At the Heart of Democracy”. You cannot have a free society while criminalising who people are and who they love.

Around the world, laws and rhetoric targeting + communities are on the rise. That is a threat not just to individuals, but to democracy itself.

The Permanent Mission of in is committed to defending for all. We call on governments everywhere to act, end discrimination, protect rights, and build societies where every life can flourish.

Equality is not a privilege. It is a right 🇲🇹🇪🇺🏳️‍🌈

Permanent Representative Randolph De Battista welcomed the new Permanent Representative of Cambodia H.E. Sovann Ke, on a courtesy visit.

The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on a range of topics of mutual interest, including the state of bilateral relations between Malta 🇲🇹 and Cambodia 🇰🇭 and opportunities to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

Discussions also touched on Cambodia’s engagement with the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative, a key instrument for building sustainable and trusted connections between Europe and partner countries across the world.

Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to multilateralism and to upholding the values and principles of the United Nations, at a time when international cooperation has never been more important.

The Mission wishes H.E. Sovann Ke every success in his new role and looks forward to continued dialogue and collaboration.

At UPR52, Malta welcomed the delegation of Singapore 🇸🇬. Malta also presented a number of recommendations to support Singapore's implementation of human rights, including ratifying core Human Rights Conventions.

Affarijiet Barranin

Malta commended Sierra Leone at UPR52 on its advancement in implementing human rights obligations, and made a number of recommendations.

Affarijiet Barranin

Malta welcomes Latvia to its UPR52 review and commeded the delegation for the various improvements. 🇲🇹 made 4 recommendations to 🇱🇻.

Affarijiet Barranin

At this morning, Malta presented several recoommendations to Somalia to improve its human rights record.

Affarijiet Barranin