Malta
A combined view of Malta's UN General Assembly speeches, treaty commitments, and voting record.
The narrative paragraphs below are AI-generated syntheses of the data shown — the tables and figures themselves come directly from the underlying records, not from the AI.
Compare with another country →Speech history
Malta's UN General Assembly rhetoric has evolved from consistently measured multilateralism in the early 2010s toward more passionate, emotionally resonant advocacy for UN institutions and global cooperation, particularly from 2012 onward. The country's speeches have maintained a strong emphasis on multilateral frameworks and international law throughout the period, but there has been a notable arc toward greater emotional intensity (peaking at 88 in 2025) and, in recent years, stronger concrete commitments—though the 2019 address marked a striking domestic pivot, emphasizing Malta's social and LGBTQI reforms over international cooperation. Since 2021, Malta has repositioned itself as a bridge-builder and conscience-driven small state within the UN system, increasingly grounding its calls for global action in specific Maltese initiatives on climate, peace, and human rights.
| Session | Multilateralism | Emotional intensity | Concreteness | Self-accountability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Very High | Low | Medium | Medium |
| 2009 | High | Low | Medium | Medium |
| 2010 | High | Low | High | Medium |
| 2011 | High | Low | High | High |
| 2012 | High | High | Medium | Medium |
| 2013 | High | Very High | Low | Medium |
| 2014 | High | High | Medium | High |
| 2015 | Very High | High | High | Medium |
| 2016 | Very High | High | Medium | Medium |
| 2017 | Very High | Low | High | High |
| 2018 | Very High | High | Medium | Medium |
| 2019 | Low | Medium | High | Very High |
| 2021 | Very High | Medium | High | High |
| 2022 | High | High | Medium | Medium |
| 2023 | High | High | Medium | High |
| 2024 | Very High | Very High | Medium | High |
| 2025 | High | Very High | Medium | High |
Treaty status
Full treaty record →Malta demonstrates comprehensive and uniform commitment to international legal frameworks, having ratified all 24 tracked treaties across arms control, environmental protection, human rights, and governance. The country's ratification portfolio is notably robust in environmental treaties, with full adherence to climate, hazardous-waste, and biodiversity conventions including the Paris Agreement and recent Kigali Amendment. This universalist approach to treaty engagement reflects Malta's stated commitment to multilateralism and positions it as a reliable UN partner on transnational challenges, with no withdrawals or gaps in major regimes.
Arms control & security
- Arms Trade TreatyRatified
- Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban TreatyRatified
- Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their DestructionRatified
- Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear WeaponsRatified
Environment & climate
- Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their DisposalRatified
- Convention on Biological DiversityRatified
- Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone LayerRatified
- Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeRatified
- Minamata Convention on MercuryRatified
- Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone LayerRatified
- Paris AgreementRatified
- Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International TradeRatified
- Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic PollutantsRatified
- United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in AfricaRatified
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeRatified
Human rights
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or PunishmentRatified
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against WomenRatified
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with DisabilitiesRatified
- Convention on the Rights of the ChildRatified
- International Covenant on Civil and Political RightsRatified
International justice
- Rome Statute of the International Criminal CourtRatified
Trade & governance
- United Nations Convention against CorruptionRatified
- United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized CrimeRatified
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaRatified
Voting record
Full voting record →Malta votes affirmatively on the vast majority of General Assembly resolutions (78% yes votes across 5,363 votes), with abstentions comprising 11% and dissents only 6% of votes cast. Notable dissents are rare and principled: the country voted against the 2024 resolution on Palestine refugee budgets and a 1966 resolution on decolonization implementation, each departing from strong consensus (94% and 92% support respectively), suggesting Malta's occasional willingness to break consensus on matters of deep concern or principle rather than systematic opposition.
Notable dissents from consensus
Proposed programme budget for 2025 : Section 26, Palestine refugees : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
2024-12-24 · voted N · 94% voted yes
Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
1966-12-13 · voted N · 92% voted yes
Human development
Full HDI record →Human Development Index: 0.924 (Very High), ranked #24 globally in 2023.
Combines life expectancy, education, and income into one comparable score, 0 to 1. Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025 — deterministic figures, not AI-generated.
1990–2023