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Thursday, 18 April 2013 17:45 |
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April 17, 2013, 10:04 pm The Island Online Top soldier turned diplomat says Lanka comprehends US grief By Shamindra Ferdinando Having experienced terrorism for three decades, Sri Lanka could comprehend America’s grief in the wake of crude bomb attacks directed at those watching the Boston marathon, Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva, told The Island yesterday. Commenting on initial media reports pertaining to investigations into the blasts, Maj. Gen. Silva said that two improvised explosive devices (IED) triggered with basic timers had contained black powder, nails and ball bearings. The LTTE had mastered the use of nuts and bolts in all types of IEDs directed at both military and civilian targets at the onset on the eelam conflict way back in early 80s, the former General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 58 Division, Maj. Gen. Silva said. |
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Thursday, 18 April 2013 17:18 |
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Ranaviru Foundation, U.S.A. in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York proudly presents “Ranaviru Handa” 
Please click here to read the details |
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Wednesday, 27 March 2013 08:11 |
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Ambassador H.E. Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona
Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations
XIII Infopoverty World Conference (IWC)
Innovations for Nation Building and to Empower People
26th March 2013 9.00 – 11.00 am - Conference Room 2
Civil Society Facing the Digital revolution: Opportunities and Risks
“Sri Lanka's current e-Government policy and associated projects have ignited a rapid e-service drive, benefitting a significant portion of the country’s population. Accordingly, more and more information on public services has become available for citizens electronically (via the internet and through the official government call center services). There is, nevertheless, further room for development.” Let me congratulate the organizers of the IWC for hosting this event for the 13th time. The topic is appropriate at a time when we are seeking to advance people-centric development programmes under the internationally agreed development goals. While the role of governments is central in this exercise, the international community has also recognized the critical role of the civil society. In Sri Lanka, like in many other developing countries, civil society movements are still in their infancy. The goals of civil society organizations are based on opportunities to exert pressure, and deliver services where both governments and the private sector are unable to or incapable of doing so. However, civil society, irrespective of its level of organization (regional, national or international), will play an important role in bringing ICT to the people. Well established Information and Communication Technologies are now being acknowledged as being crucial to multiple service providers, as well as being a source of innovative employment creation. We need to be creative in this area, or shall I say, domain. ICT can be a huge source of employment, both in the developed and developing economies. Many countries are aspiring to developing knowledge based economies and this may be the future. |
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Friday, 15 March 2013 09:48 |
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Statement at the Adoption of the Report of the UPR Working Group by Hon. MahindaSamarasinghe M.P.,Minister of Plantation Industries and Special Envoy of H.E. the President of Sri Lanka
on Human Rights ,Leader of the Sri Lanka Delegation 22nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council Geneva
15 March 2013 Mr President, My delegation and I join you this morning with a deep sense of satisfaction. November 2012 saw Sri Lanka face its second UPR and we were able to lay before the working group, our progress since 2008 and the expectations for future improvements in the promotion and protection of human rights, going forward. We have come a long way since the initial Universal Periodic Review of Sri Lanka during the first cycle in 2008. My country then was engaged in a conflict against terrorism – commencing in 2006 – trying to rescue a civilian population held by a ruthless group of terrorists. A year after that first review, we finally achieved success in the humanitarian operation and witnessed the dawn of a new era of peace, stability and prosperity for all Sri Lankans. Since May 2009 we engaged in a period of consolidation, removing military involvement in civil administration, reconstruction, demining, rehabilitation, resettlement and launched our initial efforts at national reconciliation and peace-building. Mr President, the UPR has been an event in which we have been able to periodically pause, take stock, reflect and share with our friends in the Human Rights Council our achievements, challenges and determination to move forward. The interest and level of participation in the UPR of Sri Lanka is also sincerely appreciated. We noted that a clear majorityof the countries that engaged in the UPR last November acknowledged our progress. Some of the countries that did so also pointed out the challenges that we faced. We were able to take up some of the constructive recommendations made and we also made voluntary commitments. |
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Wednesday, 13 March 2013 10:06 |
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Statement by Ambassador H.E. Palitha T.B. Kohona
Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Fifty-seventh Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
“Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls”
8thMarch, 2013
Thank you Madam Chair,
Let me join other speakers to congratulate you and the Members of the Bureau on your election to the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
The delegation of Sri Lanka associates itself with the statement made by Fiji on behalf of the G77 and China. While we celebrate the many accomplishmentsof women, we are also constantly reminded of the pervasive reality of gender based violence. Its prevalence is universal.The theme of the fifty-seventh session of the CSW - “Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls” –is therefore timely.
Madam Chair,
Sri Lanka’s women have been politically empowered since 1931 - enjoying universal adult suffrage. It was therefore not so surprising for Sri Lanka to have produced the first democratically elected woman Prime Minister in the world in 1960.
Sri Lanka has, historically, recognized that civil and political rights are interlinked with social, cultural and economic rights.Therefore, our macro policies haveensured transformational change in the lives of its women. With Constitutional guarantees for gender equality, Sri Lanka exploited synergistic interactions of health care with basic education, improved water and sanitation, malaria control, and integrated rural development - including building rural roads.The adult literacy rate in Sri Lanka for females is 97%. Among youth (15-24 years) the literacy rate is 99%. According to the latest statistics, women enjoy a longer life expectancy (80 years) than men (76 years).The contribution of women, especially rural women, in facilitating Sri Lanka’s successful achievement of most of the Millennium Development Goals is significant. Traditional knowledge of mothers on maternal health coupled with their high levels of education has contributed significantly to reducing the child mortality rate (8.9 per thousand) and the maternal mortality rate (39 per 100,000 live births).
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