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Friday, 20 May 2011 13:05 |
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Sri Lanka chaired the special event 
With the Secretary General 
Mr Wimal Weerawansa attended the special event at the GA 
Declaring open the exhibition 
Please see more photos of Wesak celebration More photos of Wesak |
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Wednesday, 18 May 2011 12:47 |
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Statement by H.E. Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Commemoration of 2600 Years of Buddhism at the United Nations Opening Event, General Assembly Hall
16th May, 2011, New York “It is appropriate that the enlightenment of Gauthama the Buddha 2600 years ago, a sage teacher who preached non-violence, tolerance, understanding and self-realization, should be celebrated by the United Nations. This organization was created from the smouldering embers of global war and the resulting death, destruction and suffering to maintain international peace and security, to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems, to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of mutual respect. Against this background, the Buddha’s message of compassion, tolerance and understanding remains ever relevant. “ |
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Thursday, 12 May 2011 10:21 |
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Statement by H.E. Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona, Ambassador and Permanent Representative
of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development 19th Session
11th May, 2011, New York Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is with great pleasure that I present a brief statement at the 19th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSD19).
As we rapidly approach Rio+20, the outcomes of CSD19 will be crucial to accelerate the discussions on sustainable development. |
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Tuesday, 10 May 2011 15:51 |
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Statement by H.E. Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations UN Security Council Open Debate
10th May, 2011, New York Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict “While the protection of civilians caught in conflict situations is critical, the unfortunate politicization and selectivity that characterizes this discussion has affected its credibility. The willingness to adopt wild and unsubstantiated allegations made in the media, even those disowned by senior officials of the UN, is regrettable. Such an inconsistent approach and the unambiguous tendency to target the small and the weak for the rigorous application of principle also affect post-conflict reconciliation in complex country situations. Difficult reconciliation processes that are successfully moving ahead are disrupted by insensitive external interventions.” |
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Thursday, 05 May 2011 09:53 |
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Statement by the Minister of External Affairs to Parliament on the Report of the Panel appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations. Read more |
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Wednesday, 18 May 2011 12:52 |
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Statement by H.E. Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Commemoration of 2600 Years of Buddhism at the United Nations Interfaith Dialogue - General Assembly Hall
16th May, 2011, New York Most Venerable Members of the Maha Sanga
Excellencies,
Distinguished Invitees,
Ladies & Gentlemen, We are assembled here to discuss a theme of great relevance to the work of this organization, and to the world that we live in, as we commemorate 2600 years of the Buddha’s enlightenment – Peace, Tolerance and Understanding. 2600 years ago the Buddha preached a message of compassion, tolerance, understanding and self-awareness. A message that remains relevant to us today in a world afflicted by endless violence, terrorism, disease, natural and man-made calamities, poverty and deprivation. Influenced by the principles of tolerance and understanding, Buddhism coexisted with the numerous religions that existed then in India. In my country, even today, Hindu temples happily exist within Buddhist temple grounds. During the colonial era, when different colonial powers dominating the coast of Sri Lanka persecuted religions that they did not tolerate, the Buddhist Kandyan Kingdom in the centre of the country provided refuge to the persecuted. This is a message that is relevant to the modern world. |
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Wednesday, 18 May 2011 12:07 |
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The UN Commemorates 2600 Years of Buddhism in Grand Style "It is appropriate that the enlightenment of Gauthama the Buddha 2600 years ago, a teacher who preached non-violence, tolerance, understanding and self realization, should be celebrated by the United Nations. This organization was created on the smouldering embers of global war and the resulting death, destruction and massive displacement, to maintain international peace and security, to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems and to develop friendly relations among nations based on mutual respect.
Against this background, the Buddha's message remains ever relevant", Dr Palitha Kohona. |
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Tuesday, 10 May 2011 18:01 |
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Sri Lanka and Ecuador establish diplomatic relations
Sri Lanka and Ecuador established formal diplomatic relations on 09th May, 2011 in New York. Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations signed the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, while his counterpart, Mr. Francisco Carrion Mena signed for the Ecuadorian side.
The two Permanent Representatives expressed their expectation that this agreement will significantly contribute to the consolidation of bilateral relations, particularly the promotion of commerce, trade, cultural relations and friendship between the two countries. Both sides agreed to work closely in international particularly on political issues. The importance of sharing each others’ expertise in the fields of tourism, agriculture and energy was also discussed.
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Friday, 06 May 2011 14:06 |
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Joint Media Release
The Minister of Agriculture of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardane, and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the State of Israel Orit Noked, who is currently on a bilateral visit to Sri Lanka, explored new vistas of mutual cooperation between Sri Lanka and Israel . They agreed that the field of agriculture carries a great potential for joint cooperation in the future.
Both Ministers highlighted the fields of dairy production, nurseries, post harvest technologies, water management and potato cultivation for potential mutual collaboration.
The Ministers further agreed that cooperation in the agricultural sector, implemented through close partnerships between the Governments as well as business entities would add further impetus to the burgeoning relations between the two countries.
Colombo
5th May 2011 |
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Monday, 11 April 2011 16:42 |
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Statement by Ambassador H.E. Palitha T.B. Kohona
Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations
The Rule of Law and Global Challenges
General Assembly Thematic Debate
11th April, 2011 Having recently emerged from a world where might prevailed and the weak suffered, let us not forget that fundamentally, the rule of law serves as a critical bulwark for mediating and facilitating between and among competing and often divisive interests between the powerful and the weak and between the rich and the poor, at the national and international levels. Any tendency to return to an age where force prevailed, in order to enforce concepts of the rule of law as understood by some must be avoided. It is also an often repeated error to expect the poor, the weak and the under-resourced to immediately be in unmistakable compliance with standards that may have taken hundreds of years to develop by their champions. |
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