On 30 July 2024, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam received the credentials of four foreign Heads of Mission during separate ceremonies at the Istana in Singapore. These included Her Excellency Rabia Shafiq, High Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; Her Excellency Tamara Villanueva, Ambassador of the Republic of Chile; His Excellency Mohamed Luveiz, High Commissioner of the Republic of Maldives; and His Excellency Nikesh Ashvinkumar Mehta, High Commissioner of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

HER EXCELLENCY RABIA SHAFIQ
HIGH COMMISSIONER OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN TO SINGAPORE

High Commissioner Rabia Shafiq has served as Director-General (Europe II) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan since October 2020. Before this, she was the Deputy Consul-General at the Consulate-General of Pakistan in Chicago, United States of America, from 2017 to 2020. She joined the Pakistani Foreign Service in 2001 and has held various roles in Political Divisions (Europe, Iran & Turkey, East Asia Pacific), the Administration Division, and the Foreign Service Academy. She has also served in Pakistan’s embassies in Paris and Ankara. 

High Commissioner Shafiq holds Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Administration, as well as a Graduate Diploma in Diplomacy from the University of Oxford. She speaks Urdu, French, and English.

HER EXCELLENCY TAMARA VILLANUEVA
AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE TO SINGAPORE

Ambassador Tamara Villanueva is a career diplomat with over 25 years of experience in several areas, such as food security, biodiversity, oceans, and Antarctic affairs. During her diplomatic career, the Ambassador had served in the Embassy of Chile in Sweden, Malaysia, and Italy, with her last position abroad as Deputy Representative of Chile to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Ambassador Villanueva served as Deputy Director for the Antarctic Division and Deputy Director of the Environment, Climate Change and Oceans Division, among other positions.

Ambassador Villanueva has a degree in Sociology from the Universidad de Chile.

HIS EXCELLENCY MOHAMED LUVEIZ
HIGH COMMISSIONER OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES TO SINGAPORE

High Commissioner Mohamed Luveiz has served in the public and private sectors. Before his current appointment as High Commissioner of Maldives to Singapore, he was Managing Director of Zebra Cross Pte. Ltd. He began his career in the Ministry of Trade in 1995 and headed Invest Maldives. He was also Minister of State for Economic Relations from 2014 to 2018. High Commissioner Luveiz has held directorships at the Bank of Maldives and served as the Councillor of the Maldivian National University.

High Commissioner Luveiz holds a Master of Business Administration from the Victoria University of Technology, a Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Adelaide, and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of South Australia.

HIS EXCELLENCY NIKESH ASHVINKUMAR MEHTA HIGH COMMISSIONER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND TO SINGAPORE

High Commissioner Nikesh Mehta is a career diplomat with over two decades of experience. Before he arrived in Singapore, High Commissioner Mehta was the Director for Policy and Requirements in the UK’s National Security Community. He was also the UK’s Deputy Head of Mission in its Embassy in Seoul, Republic of Korea from 2018 to 2022. From 2015 to 2018, High Commissioner Mehta was a Deputy Director at the Government Communications Headquarters. He has also served in various capacities in Iraq, Uganda, and Malaysia.

High Commissioner Mehta was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) by Her Late Majesty The Queen in 2014 for his contribution to British foreign policy and diversity. 

The diplomatic presentations further reinforce Singapore’s close relationships with these nations, with future cooperation expected in various global and regional initiatives.

Source: MFA
Photo Credit: Ministry of Digital Development and Information, Singapore

MALDIVES, as a country that relies on its tourism sector as the main source of income, has a responsibility to preserve its environment and natural resources. In 2020, Maldives officially submitted its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which includes its ambition to reduce emissions by 26% and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. The economy of Maldives is open and relies on the tourism and fishing sectors, which are the main sources of foreign exchange for the country. The majority of Maldives’ exports are fisheries products, while imports consist mainly of machinery, consumer goods, and petroleum. Maldives exports to countries such as Japan, Sri Lanka, India, the UK, France, and Germany, while imports are mainly from China, Japan, Malaysia, ºÚÁÏÉç, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the UAE, Canada, and Australia. 

The country has also adopted a Climate Emergency Bill with the target for Maldives to become a carbon-neutral country by 2030. The bill includes more goal-oriented and measurable ways to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. The Maldives has introduced several adaptive measures to minimize the impact of climate change, such as coastal protection tools and community programs to promote resilience. The country wants to become a leader in mitigation efforts, like reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and is calling on individuals and governments to step up.