Statement by Hon. MahindaSamarasinghe
Minister of Plantation Industries and Special Envoy of the H.E. the President on Human Rights

Third Committee
67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Agenda Item 65 (a, b): Promotion and protection of the rights of children
18thOctober, 2012

Thank you, Mr. Chairman,

Children have always had an important place in the socio-cultural life of Sri Lanka and the current focus is on building a succeeding generation who are ready to take over the reins of a new Sri Lanka free from the fear of terrorism. To achieve this, we have integrated into our national development plans several programmes that deal with children, their protection and safety, their health and physical welfare as well as their education and personality development.

Here is the address by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Global Symposium for Regulators 2012, in Colombo today.

ICT should not sow hatred and intolerance – President at GSR 12

Statement by Ambassador H. E. Dr. Palitha Kohona

Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations 

At the UN General Assembly Informal Interactive Dialogue on

The Report of the Secretary-General on the Responsibility to Protect:

Timely and Decisive Response

New York,

Wednesday, 5th September 2012 

Mr. President, 

Let me join the previous delegations in thanking you for convening this informal interactive dialogue on the report of the Secretary-General on “The Responsibility to Protect”.  We thank the Secretary-General for his report, “Timely and Decisive Response”.  The presentations by the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Mr. Adama Dieng, and the other distinguished panelists have been very helpful. 

Mr. President,

His Excellency the Ambassador Major General Shavendra Silva,Charge d’Affaires

of the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations 

At the 

2nd UN Conference to Review Progress made In the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All its Aspects, 27-28 August 2012

 Madam President, 

Sri Lanka wishes to join other delegations in congratulating you on your election as President of the 2nd Review Conference and remain confident that you will steer our deliberations to a successful conclusion. My delegation also wishes to associate itself with the statement made by the Indonesian delegation on behalf of the Non Aligned Movement.

Today, more than at any other time, preventing, combating and eradicating the illicit trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons is a matter which requires concerted efforts by all nations. The convening of the 2nd Review Conference of the UN Programme of Action is therefore, timely.  The amassing and spread of Small Arms and Light Weapons continue to fuel conflicts and cause untold suffering in many regions of the world. 

Sri Lanka is a country which has experienced, first hand, the destruction that can be caused by the illicit trade in such weapons. For a period of nearly 30 years, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) a terrorist outfit, which unlawfully occupied areas in the North and East of Sri Lanka, made ample use of the easy access to small arms and light weapons globally to procure and use such weapons with lethal repercussions on a democratically elected Government and its people.

In the post conflict phase, Sri Lanka is beginning to uncover not only the extensive overseas networks that have facilitated the illicit transfer of Small Arms and Light Weapons but also the extensive arsenal that terrorists had been able to acquire.  The massive stockpile of weapons which were recovered from the terrorists during and following the end of the conflict bears testimony to the ease with which terrorists could procure such weapons globally and reiterates the urgent need to eliminate this illicit trade.  With the eradication of terrorism, efforts are being taken to make a fresh analysis on small arms and light weapons particularly in the areas that were unlawfully occupied by terrorists. Action is being envisaged to take steps nationwide to recover illicit weaponry and ammunition.