Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

The following article appeared on the Brampton Guardian on 5^th July 2019  in response to the comments made by His Worship Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton City Council in his interview to the article ‘Shoulder to shoulder’: Brampton mayor defends Tamil genocide remembrance proclamation’ on 12^th June 2019.

Not a genocide

OPINION 04:00 AM Brampton Guardian

Friday Jul 5

 I write with reference to the article titled 'Shoulder to shoulder': Brampton mayor defends Tamil genocide remembrance proclamation by Graeme Frisque, published in the Brampton Guardian June 14, 2019.

The article does not reflect the position taken by the Sri Lanka High Commission and government of Sri Lanka.

Contrary to the assertions made by the mayor of Brampton, the government of Sri Lanka was engaged in a conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which is designated as a terrorist organization by Canada, the U.S., India, U.K., Sri Lanka and the EU, while Australia has listed the LTTE under their terrorist asset-freezing sanctions.

The action by the Sri Lankan security forces during the conflict, which ended in 2009, was against a group designated as a terrorist organization and not against any community. Now that terrorism has been defeated, all communities are working in unison toward reconciliation and economic progress.

The government of Sri Lanka has taken many measures which include promotion and protection of human rights; upholding the rule of law; strengthening good governance and democracy; fostering reconciliation and sustainable peace; and ensuring equitable and inclusive development, for the benefit of all citizens.

Addressing the inaugural session of the 47th Consultative Committee Meeting of The Colombo Plan on August 11, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that The Colombo Plan’s work and experience in the areas of socio-economic development will be a source of strength as member countries grapple with the challenges of the post-pandemic world. As the global climate calls for even more focus on social and economic development, The Colombo Plan member states must build upon existing cooperation and explore new avenues for cooperation in a new and challenging global environment.

Recalling that the success of the organizations cause depends on the commitment, contribution and meaningful action of all member states, the Minister Gunawardena requested advanced states to continue extending their support to The Colombo Plan so that it may sustain and further develop meaningful programmes for the developing member states in the quest for shared prosperity for all.

In keeping with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s vision of ‘Green and Smart’ cities, within the Government’s environmental policy, Vistas of Prosperity & Splendour, Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena announced Sri Lanka’s willingness to take leadership to promote programmes within The Colombo Plan on building sustainable green cities. Speaking on the globally topical issue of rapid urbanization and the need for sustainable cities and increasing green spaces, the Minister Gunawardena said rapid urbanization has a greater impact on developing countries and poorer nations who are constantly playing technological catch-up. As building sustainable cities requires investment, he said, countries must be supported through assistance such as capacity building, access to green technology, energy and infrastructure, and the development of sustainable and reliable public services.

The Foreign Minister Gunawardena also quoted Prof. Ranil Senanayake, leading Sri Lankan global environmentalist, in his proposed paradigm shift in green environmental discussions, to provide positive returns to offset financial debt of nations which have shown ecological contribution and commitment.

In his welcoming remarks, Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage recalled that The Colombo Plan has made history as one of the earliest attempts at international cooperation by recognizing the importance of human resources development and south-south cooperation. He observed The Colombo Plan’s significance today as an economic group with a combined population of about 40% of the world’s population and a total GDP of about US$ 37 Trillion.

The Secretary-General of The Colombo Plan Ambassador Phan Kieu Thu addressed the session as well and commended the contribution made by Sri Lanka and other Members States to the deliberations of The Colombo Plan.

Sri Lanka is hosting the two day 47th Consultative Committee Meeting for the fifth time since the inception of The Colombo Plan and the first time in twenty years. Additional Secretary for Economic Affairs of the Foreign Ministry P.M Amza chaired the Consultative Committee Meeting while the Sri Lanka Delegation comprised Acting Director General/ Economic Affairs H. M. K. Herath, Director/Economic Affairs Priyanga Wickramasinghe and Acting Director Economic Affairs Ahamed Razee.

Sri Lanka is a founding member of The Colombo Plan which was conceived at the 1950 Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs in Colombo, as a cooperative endeavour. It was established in 1951 and has grown from the initial seven member states to twenty-seven in 2021. For the past 70 years, the organization has been headquartered in Colombo.

Foreign Ministry
Colombo

11 August, 2021

(https://mfa.gov.lk/colombo-plan-fm/)

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Sri Lanka’s first and only female President, was awarded the 2019 Common Ground Award for her vision, courage and commitment to peace and reconciliation by Search for Common Ground at a reception organized in her honour on Monday 17 June 2019 at the Cholmondeley Room, House of Lords in London. The former President received the award from Roza Otunbayeva, the 2018 Common Ground Awardee and the first female President of Kyrgyzstan.

The event was attended by Her Majesty Queen Noor al-Hussein, Honorary Chairwoman of Search for Common Ground UK who in her address commended former President Kumaratunga for her work in peace building and reconciliation, and for her steadfast commitment to democracy.  Mme Kumaratunga in her address dedicated her award to ‘the hundreds and thousands who are the unsung heroes of the struggle for peace, understanding amongst all beings’.  She also remarked that in the fight against terrorism, ‘it may be more productive to use the weapons of understanding, discourse and negotiation’, ‘coupled with an honest intent to resolve the root causes of each relevant conflict.’ Former President Kumaratunga is the Chairperson of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR).

The distinguished gathering included Lord Stone of Blackheath; Shamil Idriss, CEO of Search for Common Ground; its UK Board of Trustees chaired by Lord Purvis; UK Minister of State at the Department of International Development Dr Andrew Murrison; Envoys of Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan in the UK; members of the House of Lords and Commons; and civil society.

Search for Common Ground is an international non-profit organization headquartered in Washington D.C. and Brussels, whose mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict away from adversarial approaches toward cooperative solutions.  Previous winners of the Common Ground Award include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former US President Jimmy Carter, and former President of Kyrgystan Roza Otunbayava.

Sri Lanka High Commission

London

25 June 2019

The COP26 Regional Ambassador for the Asia-Pacific and South Asia Ken O’Flaherty congratulated Sri Lanka for timely submission of its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with ambitious commitments on renewable energy and net zero carbon, as well as a pledge for “no more coal.” He reiterated that the commitment at the highest level of policy making is the strength behind such ambitious commitments and it would no doubt bring wide accolades to Sri Lanka. Ambassador O’Flaherty also stated that there are a wide range of opportunities for countries when they submit NDCs with clear ambitious targets, not only for climate financing grants, but also for attracting foreign investors who are increasingly focusing on countries with clear de-carbonizing mechanisms in their policies. He reiterated that overall Net Zero Carbon by 2050 is an important target accepted by an increasing number of countries.

Ambassador Ken O’ Flaherty made these comments when he called on Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the Parliament. COP 26 Regional Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Ken O’ Flaherty visited Sri Lanka from 5th - 9th August 2021. The visit was organized by the High Commission of UK in Colombo in liaise with the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s progressive initiatives to mitigate climate change impacts, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's initiative “Towards a Green Socio-Economic Pattern with Sustainable Solutions to Climate Change,” Sri Lanka’s engagement with the Commonwealth Blue Charter by championing the Action Group on Mangrove Ecosystems and Livelihoods (MELAG) as well as actively participating in eight other Action Groups within the Blue Charter covering other areas, and the Mangrove Caretaker Programme launched with the British High Commission in Colombo were highlighted by Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena during the discussion. The Foreign Minister also extended an invitation to COP26 Presidency Rt. Alok Sharma to visit Sri Lanka. He also thanked the Government of UK for assistance being offered to Sri Lanka through the Blue Planet Fund’s Ocean Country Partnership Programme. The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is due to take place in November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland and the United Kingdom holds the COP26 Presidency.

During the discussions, the importance of the visit amidst global challenges due to COVID-19 and the gesture of goodwill by the British government in being the first country to come forward with specific assistance when the MV Pearl X-Press vessel disaster happened on 20th May 2021, was also appreciated by the Sri Lankan side.

The importance of bringing nitrogen waste into the climate change discourse was reiterated by the Sri Lankan side, in the context of the direct global warming potential (mass basis) of the greenhouse gas Nitrous Oxide (N2O) and Sri Lanka's initiatives through the Colombo Declaration on Sustainable Nitrogen Management which seeks to halve nitrogen waste by 2030 and the UK’s own initiative on Nitrogen4NetZero. The importance of forging collaboration between the UK and Sri Lanka was reiterated during the discussion.

Actg. British High Commissioner Bruce Bucknell, Head of Prosperity Section of the British High Commission in Colombo Andrew Price and Director General of Ocean Affairs, Environment and Climate Change of the Foreign Ministry Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake participated at the meeting.

During the visit, Ambassador O'Flaherty had extensive discussions with Minister of Environment Mahinda Amaraweera and senior officials, followed by a technical level working meeting chaired by Secretary of the Ministry of Environment Dr. Anil Jasinghe. The visiting Ambassador O'Flaherty also called on State Minister of Regional Cooperation Tharaka Balasuriya and Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage. The visit concluded with the planting of a Golden Shower Tree, Cassia fistula at the Beddagana Wetland Park managed by the Urban Development Authority. This Wetland Park is also connected to the “Darwin Initiative”, a wetland conservation project funded by the British High Commission in Colombo and the International Water Management institute.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

August 2021

(https://mfa.gov.lk/cop26-south-asia/)