Published: 02 March 2017

Last Updated: 22 March 2017

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera who is presently in Geneva to participate in the High-Level segment of the 34^th Session of the UN Human Rights Council met UN Secretary-General Antonio Gueterres Monday (27). This was the first meeting of the Minister with the new UN Secretary-General who took office in January this year. Recalling his several visits to Sri Lanka from 1978 onwards, including as High Commissioner for Refugees, the Secretary-General said that Sri Lanka is a country that is very dear to his heart.

Published: 28 February 2017

Last Updated: 01 March 2017

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera, leader of the Sri Lanka delegation, addressed the 34^th Session of the Human Rights Council at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, today (28^th February 2017).

Hon. Jayampathy Wickramaratne, MP, President's Counsel (PC), Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, Mr. Mano Tittawella, Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms (SCRM),  Mr. A.L.A. Azeez, Senior DG/EU, Multilateral Treaties and Commonwealth, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka and other senior officials of the Government of Sri Lanka comprised the Sri Lanka delegation to the 34th HRC.

Full Statement

28^th February 2017

Published: 25 February 2017

Last Updated: 22 March 2017

Consideration of the 8th Periodic Review of Sri Lanka to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) took place at the 66^th Session of the Committee against Women, held at the Palais Wilson in Geneva, on 22 February 2017. Mrs. Chandrani Senaratna , Secretary Ministry of Women and Child Affairs of Sri Lanka led the delegation.

Published: 09 February 2017

Last Updated: 14 February 2024

An International Cooperation Agreement (ICA) to enhance scientific cooperation in High Energy Physics between the scientific community of Sri Lanka and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), was signed in Geneva on Wednesday (8 February 2017). Minister of Science, Technology & Research, Susil Premajayantha and the Director for International Relations of CERN, Ms. Charlotte Warakaulle signed on behalf of the two parties. 

Published: 08 February 2017

Last Updated: 14 July 2017

Delivering a keynote addressed at the World Health Organisation (WHO) meeting on ‘Rehabilitation 2030: A Call for Action’, in Geneva on Monday      (6^th February) Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Dr Rajitha Senaratne said that the Government of Sri Lanka has identified Rehabilitative Health Services as the third pillar of Sri Lanka’s health care delivery system, in addition to the earlier focus on curative and preventive health services. Minister Senaratne was invited by the WHO, together with Minister of Health of Botswana and Deputy Minister of Health of Lao People’s Democratic Republic to deliver the keynote addresses at the meeting, and share the experience of their country efforts in rehabilitation services.

Published: 05 February 2017

Last Updated: 05 February 2017

Switzerland, a co-chair of the UN intergovernmental consultations on the modalities for the process for adoption of the ‘Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration’, has  commended the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) chaired by Sri Lanka, for its proactive action to seek close engagement in the process of development of the Global Compact on Migration (GCM). Mr. Pietro Mona, Deputy Head, Global Program on Migration and Development of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, acknowledged the leadership of Sri Lanka and the ADD troika, which also includes Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for initiating such a dialogue within the ADD, even before the resolution on modalities for the intergovernmental negotiation on the Global Compact was adopted by the UN General Assembly.