Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, To begin with, I feel so honoured and privileged to be in this wonderful capital and largest city of Switzerland on behalf of my delegation. It is a great pleasure for me to address the 148th IPU Assembly...
Sri Lanka is deeply troubled about the death of over hundred people who were waiting to receive aid in Gaza and joins the call for investigation into the incident. The latest incident underscores the immediate need to end the blockade imposed on Gaza,...
Attending the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2024 in Davos, Switzerland at the invitation of its Founder and Chairman Prof. Klaus Schwab, President Ranil Wickremesinghe interacted with world...
Eleventh Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions 11 – 14 September 2023 Statement by Sri Lanka Agenda Item 8: General Exchange of Views Thank you Mr. President, Sri Lanka joins...
General Intervention by H.E. Himalee Arunatilaka, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, on 28 August 2023 Mr. Chair, Sri Lanka compliments the work accomplished...
Intervention by Dr. Samiddhi Samarakoon, National Coordinator, Disaster Preparedness and Response Division of the Ministry of Health on National Inventory of Dangerous Pathogens (NIDP) Thank you...
Intervention by Dr. Samiddhi Samarakoon, National Coordinator, Disaster Preparedness and Response Division of the Ministry of Health on the Implementation of Biological Weapons Convention Plan in...
NOTICE
Launching website of the new visa system from 16 April 2024.
The previous online visa website (Electronic Travel Authorization-ETA) has expired since 16 April 2024.
Please use the following link to apply for ETA from 17 April 2024 onwards.
The UN Committee on Migrant Workers comprises 14 experts elected for a term of four years by State Parties to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. The Committee’s main task is to monitor the implementation of the Convention. The election held on 30 May was for 7 vacancies in the Committee. The other experts elected along with Ambassador Kariyawasam are from Argentina, Bangladesh, Honduras, Mali, Philippines, and Senegal.
Sri Lanka’s candidate, Ambassador Kariyawasam obtained the highest number of votes at the election held on 30 May, signifying an unprecedented endorsement and recognition by the State Parties of the contribution made by Sri Lanka and Ambassador Kariyawasam towards the promotion of human rights of migrant workers. This significant endorsement also reflects the recognition of the competence of Sri Lanka’s candidate, Ambassador Kariyawasam, who has chaired the UN Committee on Migrant Workers at its inception from 2004 -2008.
Today, there are approximately 175 million migrant workers around the world who make significant contributions to the improvement of the economies of their countries of origin through remittances. However, migrant workers are often vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking. The Convention seeks to prevent and eliminate the exploitation of migrant workers throughout the migration process and promote a rights based approach to migration with a view to protecting the rights of migrant workers and members of their families.