Zahiya Zareer, ( born 30 December 1959) is a Maldivian politician and former teacher; she is Ambassador-at-Large at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

of the Government of the Maldives and was formerly High Commissioner to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, after held two ministerial government offices.

Career

Zareer began work in 1983, working for the Maldivian government. Her first role was as an English language teacher, from which she worked to become the Minister of Education from 2005 to 2008. From 2004 to 2005 she held the post of Minister of Gender, Family Development & Social Security. During her time as Minister for Education, almost half of Maldivian teachers went on strike. She also established Teacher Resource Centres, which were designed to enable a greater number of teachers to access professional development for child-centred active learning. On 13 February 2014, Zareer was appointed by President

Abdulla Yameen Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom ( dv, ޢަބްދުﷲ ޔާމީން ޢަބްދުލް ޤައްޔޫމް; born 21 May 1959) is a Maldivian politician who was President of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018. He left office on 17 November 2018 following his ...

as High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. She presented her credentials to the President of Sri Lanka in June 2014. During her time in Sri Lanka, the Maldives declared its withdrawal from the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

. As a result of this move, Zareer's title changed to Ambassador. During her time in Sri Lanka, she was involved in a diplomatic dispute after a 'bomb plot suspect' was expelled from the country. On 13 August 2017, the Maldivian government dismissed her from the post. She was then appointed Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Maldives. Zareer is also an expert in Divehi.

Personal life

Zareer is married and has one son and one daughter; her hobbies include reading, writing poetry and gardening. Her father was

Hassan Zareer Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scottis ...

, former

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

and cabinet minister, and her mother worked at the Department of Women’s Affairs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zareer, Zahiya 1959 births Maldivian politicians Maldivian diplomats High Commissioners of the Maldives to Sri Lanka Women government ministers of the Maldives Ambassadors of the Maldives Living people 21st-century Maldivian women politicians 21st-century Maldivian politicians Education ministers of the Maldives