Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during a two day visit to Geneva recently met with Mr. Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and senior officials engaged in areas relating to Sri Lanka.
The visit of the Minister took place as a continuation of Sri Lanka’s engagement with the Forum facilitated by the Sri Lanka’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, on the eve of the 2018 Davos Summit, which will take place from 23-27 January 2018, where the WEF Annual Programme takes shape. Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the WTO Ambassador R. D. S. Kumararatne, Board Member-Board of Investment -Mr. Mangala Yapa, and officials of the Mission were associated in these meetings.
The 16th Meeting of States Parties to the Anti – Personnel Mines Ban Convention welcomed Sri Lanka on Monday 18th December 2017 as the newly joined 163rd State Party to the Convention, following the depositing of the Instrument of Accession on 13th December 2017 in New York.
“We welcome Sri Lanka to this ever growing movement,” said H.E. Thomas Hajnoczi Ambassador of Austria and Head of the Department of Disarmament at the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs who is Presiding over the 16th Meeting of States Parties (MSP) to the Convention held in Vienna from 18-21 December 2017. The meeting also coincides with the 20th Anniversary of the signing of the Convention.
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has become the 163th State Party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, the landmark international treaty that bans the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines.
Sri Lanka officials deposited the accession instrument at the United Nations headquarters in New York on 13 December joining the 80% of the world’s states that have undertaken to “never, under any circumstance use, produce, stockpile or transfer anti-personnel mines”, and do their utmost to assist the victims and survivors of these weapons.
“We welcome Sri Lanka to this ever growing movement,” said H.E. Thomas Hajnoczi Ambassador of Austria and Head of the Department of Disarmament at the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs who is presiding over the Convention.
Sri Lanka has called for an urgent review of the composition of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), to better reflect the geographical distribution, the importance of chemical industry, and the political and security interests of Member States in the contemporary world.
Addressing the 22nd Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention in The Hague, last Wednesday (29th November 2017), the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to The Netherlands and Permanent Representative to the OPCW, Mr A.M.J. Sadiq made this call while delivering the National Statement on behalf of Sri Lanka. Elaborating further, Ambassador Sadiq noted that since the establishment of the OPCW twenty years ago, there have been major positive developments of economic and geo-political significance in Asia, Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean. Today, around 84% of the world population and 73 % of Member States of the OPCW belong to these regions.
Sri Lanka pledged an un-earmarked voluntary contribution of 15,000 US$ towards the UNHCR Global Appeal 2018-2019 at the UNHCR Pledging Conference held on 05th December 2017 in Geneva. The Global Appeal 2018-2019 by the UNHCR presents the requirement of financial resources that amounts to USD 7.508 billion for 2018 and USD 7.352 billion for 2019, to protect and improve the lives of millions of people, including refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people (IDPs), returnees, stateless people, and others of concern.
Addressing the UNHCR Pledging Conference, Ambassador Aryasinha appreciated the assistance extended by UNHCR to Sri Lanka in the resettlement process of IDPs and returnees in the provision of shelter, livelihoods and basic household items and assured Sri Lanka’s cooperation to Mr. High Commissioner for his endeavours.
Statement By Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha
Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
Geneva
5 December 2017
The Government of Sri Lanka has announced the dates for the 18th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to be attended by 183 State Parties, and held from 22nd May - 3rd June 2019 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo.
Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha who made the announcement addressing the 69th Standing Committee of CITES meeting, said as a country with rich biological diversity, Sri Lanka is fully committed to the implementation of the CITES provisions to ensure sustainable trade that takes into account the conservation of wild fauna and flora essential for a healthy and prosperous economy. He further drew attention to the recent actions taken by Sri Lanka in fulfilling its commitment under the Convention, including the seizure of illegally traded blood ivory, which was publicly destroyed in 2016, as well as the initiatives taken to list thresher shark species under CITES Appendix II as a protected species. The offer to host the Conference was made as Sri Lanka is mindful of the challenges that remain to be overcome at national and international levels, the Ambassador added.
Director-General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Ambassador William Lacy Swing, addressing the 108th Session of the IOM Council in Geneva, on Wednesday (29 November 2017) commended the Government of Sri Lanka for its leadership in migration issues and observed “our bilateral cooperation has grown exponentially over the last few years, but particularly in this year”. Referring to Sri Lanka's role in regional consultative processes - as until recently Chair of the Colombo Process (CP) and presently as Chair of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD), he thanked Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha for his leadership in steering a number of activities that has strengthened the relationship between the Mission in Geneva and the IOM.
Noting IOM’s engagement and support for Sri Lanka in several important areas such as border management, preventing trafficking in persons, human rights,
re-integration of refugee returnees, peace building and reconciliation and disaster management, Ambassador Swing expressed hope that IOM and Sri Lanka will continue to build on these excellent relationships. He also congratulated Sri Lanka on launching a comprehensive National Economic Development Programme; the Vision 2025 - A Country Enriched, under the leadership of President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. He further expressed IOM’s appreciation for Sri Lanka’s co-sponsorship and for its contribution towards hosting the ‘Second Global Consultation on Migrant Health’ in Colombo in February 2017, and in actively supporting the efforts at securing the global attention on migrant health.
- Sri Lanka to strengthen collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization
- Adoption of the Working Group Report of the Third Cycle of Sri Lanka’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the 28th Session of the UPR Working Group, 17 November 2017 in Geneva
- Third Cycle of Sri Lanka’s Review at the 28th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group, 15 November 2017 in Geneva