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Tuesday, 04 September 2012 14:03 |
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President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s address at the 16th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran 2012-08-30 Excellency Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran & Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement,
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, I express deepest sympathies for the tragic loss of life and destruction caused by the earthquakes that occurred a few weeks ago in North Western Iran. I wish the people of Iran a speedy recovery from this unfortunate natural disaster.
I am pleased to be in this magnificent city again, this time with the brethren of the Non-Aligned Movement. I take this opportunity to thank the Government and the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran for the meticulous organization of this event, and gracious hospitality extended to me and my delegation.
While warmly welcoming President Ahmadinejad as the new Chair of NAM, I wish to acknowledge the extensive contribution made by Iran to the Movement over the years. I am confident that under his able leadership the work of NAM will continue to flourish. I also offer my heartfelt appreciation to His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Morsy, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, for their impressive initiatives to the NAM in its capacity as Chair from 2009 to 2012.
Sri Lanka is pleased to welcome the Republic of Fiji and the Republic of Azerbaijan as the newest Members into the NAM family. The admission of these two Members into our fold, brings added strength and diversity to us, and clearly establishes the relevance of NAM in the global arena. We strongly advocate solidarity among NAM countries, especially now.
Mr. Chairman,
We are living through challenging times and the theme for this Summit, “Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance” is particularly pertinent. It is through joint global action that we will be able to address many of these challenges. |
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Tuesday, 28 August 2012 16:38 |
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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. |
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Thursday, 23 August 2012 10:50 |
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Social Inclusion of Migrants: Access to Education and Health Services The Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, H.E. Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona, chaired the seminar (22nd August 2012) on “Social Inclusion of Migrants: Access to Education and Health Services.” Organized by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), panel members consisted of UN agency representatives and experts including, Ms Yvonne Lodico, Head of UNITAR Office in New York; Ms. Maria Pia Belloni Mignatti, Representative to the UN for the World Organization for Early Childhood Education; Ms. Ann Pawliczko, Senior Technical Advisor to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA); Mr. Jacob Kumaresan, Executive Director of the World Health Organisation in New York (WHO); Ms Brenda Haiplik, Senior Education Advisor-Emergencies for UNICEF in New York; Ms. Chandra Roy-Henriksen, Chief of the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues; Ms. Amy Muedin, Programme Specialist for the Office of the Permanent Observer for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM); and Mr. Rhon Reynolds, Representative of the African Black Diaspora Global Network (ABDGN). The panelists explored several approaches to strengthen the social integration policies for migrants, specifically youth, the elderly, disabled persons, IDPs, refugees, asylum seekers, indigenous peoples and persons with HIV infections. The emphasis was on equal access to health and education services while bridging the gap between cultural and linguistic boundaries. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona reiterated Sri Lanka’s comprehensive national institutional mechanisms which offered strong support for basic migrant rights. As a country that was a source of migrants as well as a recipient. He also reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s contribution to international efforts, as a member of the UN Committee on Migrant Workers, in ensuring that the rights of migrants are protected. He also emphasised the Government’s successful educational and health services in the country’s its post-conflict resettlement and reintegration programme. Please click here to read the full statement
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Friday, 17 August 2012 14:58 |
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LLRC REPORT TRANSLATED INTO SINHALA AND TAMIL |
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