Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

Hon. Karu Jayasuriya, Speaker of the Parliament, attending the 135^th Session of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva, was invited to chair the emergency session on Syria called by the IPU Assembly on 25^th October.  The Session had before it a Resolution titled “The war and the severe humanitarian situation in Syria, particularly in Aleppo” presented by Germany and Mexico. Pursuant to the General Debate, a Drafting Committee was mandated to discuss and present the finalized Resolution on 27^th October 2016, for the consideration of the IPU Assembly.

Read more: Speaker Karu Jayasuriya Chairs IPU Emergency Session on Syria and holds bilateral meetings on the side lines of the Assembly

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera called for the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to move into a new era of dynamism, when he addressed the 16^th Council of Ministers Meeting (CoMM) of IORA held on 27^th October 2016 in Bali, Indonesia. 

Read more: “Sri Lanka wishes to see the Indian Ocean Rim Association move into a new era of dynamism”- Foreign Minister Samaraweera

Leading a high-level Sri Lankan Parliamentary delegation to the 135^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) being held from 23-27 October 2016 in Geneva, Hon. Karu Jayasuriya, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka addressed the General Debate this morning (25 October 2016). The theme of this year’s debate was ‘Human Rights abuses as precursors of conflict: Parliaments as early responders.’ 

Read more: Speaker Karu Jayasuriya addresses the IPU Assembly in Geneva

The 39^th tri-annual Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was held in Montreal, Canada from 27^th September to 07^th October. The Sri Lankan delegation was led by Ahmed A. Jawad, Representative of Sri Lanka to the ICAO and High Commissioner to Canada. The ICAO is a UN specialized Agency established in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation also known as the Chicago Convention and comprises 191 member states. Sri Lanka became a member in 1948.

Read more: Sri Lanka at the 39th Tri-annual Assembly of ICAO

Sri Lanka regrets that the prevailing environment in the region is not conducive for holding the 19^th SAARC Summit in Islamabad on 9^th and 10^th November 2016. 

Read more: Sri Lanka’s participation in the 19th SAARC Summit scheduled for November 2016 in Islamabad

Sri Lanka co-hosted a Pledging Conference to Refinance the Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF).held on 21^st September 2016 at the UN Headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the 71^st sessions of the United Nations General Assembly.  Sri Lanka together with Kenya, Mexico, The Netherlands, Somalia, Sweden, Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom co- hosted the event. The conference was able to generate pledges from thirty countries amounting to a sum of US Dollars 152 million to support UN peacebuilding efforts across the globe. Foreign Minister Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, chaired one segement of the conference and delivered closing remarks on behalf of the co hosts. In his national statement delivered at the conference Hon. Mangala Samaraweera said that since the creation of the Fund in 2006, it had come to the assistance of many countries emerging from conflict. Sri Lanka, he noted, has been working closely with the Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) since the Presidential Elections of January 2015, when the Government prioritized reconciliation and development as twin agendas to be pursued in guiding the nation towards durable peace.  He pointed out that last year, Sri Lanka was declared by the UN Secretary-General as a country eligible to receive support from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. In his closing remarks on behalf of the co hosts, Minister Samaraweera said that due to the cooperation of member states, the Fund will be able to continue to support critical projects in countries emerging from years of violent conflict, like Colombia, and in other countries where peace is fragile and needs to be sustained, such as in Mali, Somalia and Sri Lanka. “We are also emboldened by the fact that so many of you pledged, making the Peacebuilding Fund one of the most broadly supported funds in the UN system, “ the Minister further said.

The full text of the Statement made by Minister Samaraweera is follows:

Read more: Pledging Conference for the Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund New York, 21st September 2016