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The visit of Your Holiness gives me an opportunity to receive your blessings as I commence my term of office, said President Maithripala Sirisena welcoming the Holy Father at Bandaranaike International Airport this morning (Jan. 13). The President, wishing...
His Holiness Pope Francis arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport this morning (Jan. 13). The Holy Father was welcomed by President Maithripala Sirisena. The special aircraft carrying Pope Francis and the Papal delegation touched down at the...
The ceremonial opening of the Buddhist Centre in the “House of Religion” in Bern , Switzerland was held on 14th December 2014, following the opening of the “House of Religion”, which is an...
Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha has said, in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global South must continue to reflect...
Sri Lanka pledged a voluntary contribution of 10,000 US$ towards the UNHCR Global Appeal 2015 at the UNHCR Pledging Conference held on 09th December 2015. The Global Appeal 2015 Update by the UNHCR...
Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha met Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See at a luncheon meeting on 6th December 2014 in Bern. The luncheon meeting...
Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka of Sri Lanka speaking at the consideration of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report of Cuba:
Mr. Vice President,
Cuba participated in the UPR process on a very important landmark anniversary in its history: 50 years after the victory of the Cuban revolution. Cuba’s participation in the UPR has been a model of dynamism and active engagement. Here, Sri Lanka would like to salute the role played by Ambassador Juan Antonio Fernandez Palacios, who has been a militant combatant and a field commander in the battle of ideas in the Human Rights Council.
He has combine maturity, sagacity with militancy and fought against any and every attempt to use Human Rights selectively and hypocritically as an instrument. He has fought to make sure that the Human Rights Council is a level-playing field for everyone and that Human Rights are a patrimony of us all. Mr. President, the Council has full faith in the abilities of his worthy successor, but dare I say that we will be diminished by his absence from Geneva, next month.
Mr. President, Cuba has discharged its responsibilities under conditions of extreme external hostility, pressure and siege. This long-standing and unreasonable siege has not prevented Cuba from being a model of generosity and altruism. Cuba has not only been a model of the practice of social and collective rights within its territory, it has also been the enabler of the enjoyment of such rights throughout the developing countries. May I say that Cuba’s contribution is not limited to collective rights, because Mr. President, imagine the exercise of the rights of the individual when one who did not have sight, has been given sight through Cuba’s operation Milagro, and one who was illiterate has learned to read through the program of Yes I Can – the Literacy Program.
Therefore, Sri Lanka salutes Cuba’s Human Rights contribution and performance and strongly endorses the adoption of its UPR report.
Thank you.
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