The Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake, addressing the Conference on Disarmament (CD) on 20 August 2026, reiterated Sri Lanka’s long-standing and principled position that outer space is a common heritage of humankind and must be preserved exclusively for peaceful purposes. Ambassador Dassanayake further stated that Sri Lanka firmly rejects any strategic doctrine that seeks to turn outer space as a warfighting domain or a battlefield for geopolitical rivalry, stressing that all space activities must strictly adhere to the UN Charter and the Outer Space Treaty.
Highlighting key outcomes of the recent multilateral deliberations on outer space disarmament, Sri Lanka emphasized that while voluntary Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures (TCBMs) can serve as useful interim steps to build trust, they can never substitute a comprehensive, legally binding, and multilaterally verifiable treaty that prohibits the placement of weapons in outer space.
Ambassador Dassanayake also congratulated the newly appointed Permanent Representative of Pakistan on assuming the Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament and conveyed Sri Lanka’s best wishes for a successful tenure.
Sri Lanka further drew the attention of the Conference on the existential threat posed by space debris in Near-Earth orbit, stressing that the generation of such debris disproportionately affects non-spacefaring developing nations that rely heavily on global space infrastructure. Calling for concrete and effective debris mitigation measures, Sri Lanka cautioned that efforts to manage space threats must not become a pretext for discriminatory restrictions that hinder developing countries from accessing space technologies essential for climate resilience, disaster management, and sustainable development.
Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva
23 August 2026
Mr. President,
At the outset, allow me to extend warmest congratulations to Permanent Representative of Pakistan, His Excellency Tahir Hussain Andrabi and to the delegation of Pakistan, on assuming the Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament. Your Excellency, rest assured of my delegation’s fullest support and cooperation as you guide the work of this august body. Sri Lanka also takes this opportunity to appreciate the leadership, vision and commitment of the previous Presidencies of the CD, this year.
I also take this opportunity to warmly welcome newly appointed Permanent Representative of Germany and Actg. Head of the Delegation of the USA.
Sri Lanka wishes to express its sincere appreciation to His Excellency Carlos Mario Foradori, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Argentina, Coordinator of the Subsidiary Body 3 and the Chair of the Open-ended Working Group on the prevention of an arms race in outer space in all its aspects for his dedicated leadership and for presenting his reflections to the Conference, today.
Mr. President,
The agenda item 3 – ‘Prevention of an arms race in outer space’ has become an important aspect in global disarmament that warrants our attention more than ever
Sri Lanka’s position on outer space security remains clear, consistent, and principled. Outer space is a common heritage of humankind. It must be preserved exclusively for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of all nations, irrespective of their degree of scientific or economic development. We firmly reject any strategic doctrine that seeks to frame outer space as a warfighting domain or extended battle field for global power competition.
We strongly believe that the activities in outer space should be guided by the principles enshrined in the UN Chater, particularly Article 2 on the prevention of threat or use of force. Further we call that all activities in outer space should align with the existing provisions of the Outer Space Treaty.
My delegation takes positive note of the deliberations during the Subsidiary Body 3 as well as at the third session of the OEWG in last July. It is noted that while substantive divergences remain, particularly regarding the definition of ‘space weapons’ and ‘the scope of future legal obligations’, there is meaningful convergence on the urgent need to protect civilian space-based infrastructure, prevent harmful interference, and reduce the risks of miscalculation.
Mr. President,
As we look ahead to the future work of the OEWG and broader PAROS discussions in the CD, Sri Lanka wishes to outline the following key considerations:
- First, Sri Lanka is of the view that voluntary norms, behavioral guidelines, and Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures (TCBMs) are valuable interim steps to build trust and confidence. However, they are complementary and can never replace a comprehensive, legally binding, and multilaterally verifiable treaty approach prohibiting the placement of weapons in outer space.
- Second, the rapid developments in dual-use systems, commercial installations, and counterspace capabilities require balanced regulation. Measures must be comprehensive to address not merely the testing of destructive capabilities, but the research, production, deployment, and placement of all space weapon systems.
- Third, any future legal instrument must feature an adaptable verification mechanism. Rapid advancements in dual-use technology and the rise of commercial space actors require verification protocols that can evolve alongside technology, supported by a clear dispute resolution framework to manage compliance equitably.
- Fourth, frameworks established to mitigate space threats must not serve as pretext for discriminatory restrictions that impede developing, non-spacefaring nations from accessing space applications vital for climate resilience, disaster management, and sustainable development.
- Fifth, the generation of space debris poses an existential risk to the long-term sustainability of Near-Earth orbit. Sri Lanka stresses that space debris creation disproportionately impacts non-spacefaring nations reliant on global space assets. Preventing an arms race must encompass concrete rules on debris mitigation to avoid the disastrous consequences of orbital overcrowding and collision cascades.
In conclusion, Mr. President, as a longstanding co-sponsor of the UN General Assembly resolution on PAROS together with Egypt, Sri Lanka reaffirms its commitment to working constructively within the Conference on Disarmament, the OEWG and other multilateral engagements, including the UNGA First Committee to ensure the long-term safety, security, and sustainable use of outer space exclusively for peaceful purposes.
Thank you
Mr. Chair,
At the outset, the delegation of Sri Lanka wishes to express deep condolences and solidarity with the people of Venezuela following the devastative impact of the recent earthquake.
Mr. Chair, since this is the first time that my delegation is taking the floor, Sri Lanka wishes to congratulate you on your continued leadership for the third session of the Open-ended Working Group.
Mr. Chair,
Sri Lanka’s approach to outer space security remains clear, consistent, and deeply rooted in our historical commitment. We reaffirm the foundational principle that outer space is the common heritage of humankind. Its exploration and use must be reserved exclusively for peaceful purposes, operating to the benefit of all peoples, irrespective of their level of economic, technological or scientific development.
We strongly believe that the activities in outer space should be guided by the principles enshrined in the UN Chater, particularly Article 2 on the prevention of threat or use of force. Further we call that all activities in outer space should align with the existing provisions of the Outer Space Treaty.
Guided by this vision, we strongly reject any militaristic approach that risks drawing humanity into a catastrophic orbit of conflict, where the consequences will not be confined to spacefaring nations but will fall heavily upon the entire global community, particularly developing nations that rely on space-based socio-economic infrastructure.
Mr. Chair,
Under this agenda item, our focus is fixed on the crucial imperative of preventing the placement of weapons in outer space. Sri Lanka has long maintained that the most effective way to address this threat is early conclusion of a comprehensive, legally binding, and multilaterally verifiable international treaty.
My delegation strongly maintains that voluntary norms, rules, and transparency and confidence-building measures (TCBMs) are useful but inherently complementary in nature and not substitute for a legally binding instrument. We believe that such measures serve as valuable interim steps to reduce mistrust and build confidence while leading to future foundational steps for a legally binding treaty architecture.
Mr. Chair, therefore, we express our support for this working group as it seeks the best outcome of these various approaches in a complementary and incremental way. To this direction, our work should be based on existing work carried out so far in the Conference on Disarmament, First Committee and other UN-led initiatives while avoiding duplications.
Mr. Chair,
To ensure that measures against the placement of weapons are both practical and enduring, my delegation wishes to highlight the following specific priorities:
First, the scope of prevention must be comprehensive. Partial measures that focus solely on the testing of specific technologies leave dangerous legal gaps. A robust prevention framework must explicitly address, and restrict the research, development, production, and deployment of all weapon systems designed for placement in orbit.
Second, any future legal instrument must feature an adaptable verification mechanism. Rapid advancements in dual-use technology and the rise of commercial space actors require verification protocols that can evolve alongside technology, supported by a clear dispute resolution framework to manage compliance equitably.
Third, legal frameworks must safeguard the access to developing states for peaceful use of outer space. The prevention of an arms race must not limit developing nations from accessing space science, technology, and data for peaceful applications such as climate monitoring, disaster management, and sustainable development.
Mr. Chair,
In conclusion, Sri Lanka has historically been a foundational pillar of prevention of arms race in outer space, notably serving as the traditional co-sponsor of the annual UN General Assembly resolution on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) together with Egypt.
Sri Lanka's position rests on the cardinal principle that outer space is the common heritage of humankind and must be used exclusively for peaceful purposes.
My delegation stands ready to work constructively with all delegations to achieve these shared goals.
Thank you.
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