Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, addressing the Conference on Disarmament (CD) on Tuesday (31 July 2012), has expressed Sri Lanka's "profound disappointment that the Conference has not been enabledto undertake substantive work on its agenda". He said, "it is time to avoid the temptation of subjecting the work of this Conference to the vagaries of changing international strategic landscape, and instead, to harness its potential to contribute towards enhancing cooperative security". Emphasizing the importance of the CD "as the sole multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community", Ambassador Aryasinha said, "in order to continue to preserve the unique role of the Body, it is vital that all of us, the Member States, allow the Conference to begin its substantive work on the basis of a balanced and focussed Programme of Work, that takes into account security concerns of all its Members in an equitable manner, thereby ensuring its acceptance by consensus".
I call to order the 1061st plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament.
I have the honour to convey the following message of good wishes addressed to the Conference by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, Hon. Rohitha Bogollagama.
‘I have great pleasure in addressing this special message on the occasion of Sri Lanka’s assumption of the Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament. As a small, yet always engaged member State of the United Nations, Sri Lanka’s assumption of the Presidency of this Conference is yet another manifestation of its commitment to and belief in multilateral diplomacy as the indispensable means to address major global challenges and enhance the prospects of a stable, just and peaceful world. The Conference on Disarmament, as the sole multilateral negotiating body on disarmament matters has a proud history of codification and remains relevant in our constant endeavour to free the world from all weapons of mass destruction.
- Statement of Sri Lanka at the Seventh meeting of the State Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction-18-22 September 2006, Geneva
- Statement delivered by H.E. Mrs Sarala Fernando, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka at the Plenary of the Conference on Disarmament 15th August, 2006
- STATEMENT DELIVERED BY H.E. MRS SARALA FERNANDO, AMBASSADOR/PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SRI LANKA AT THE PLENARY OF THE CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT ON 8 JUNE, 2006