Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

Between 30-50% of mangroves have been lost over the past 50 years. New approaches for the restoration of mangroves are emerging; benefiting from new, low-cost technologies and supporting the resilience of local communities through empowered engagement and innovative funding. As has been underlined by the recent X-Press Pearl disaster, off the coast of Sri Lanka, coastal mangrove ecosystems are vulnerable to a wide range of possible stressors, which requires reliable monitoring and response plans.

33 of the 54 Commonwealth countries hold mangrove ecosystems, representing 22% of the global mangrove holdings. The Mangrove Ecosystems and Livelihoods Action Group (MELAG), championed by Sri Lanka, has been working with its members to identify the priorities for action, innovative ways for financing, that can trigger conservation and sustainable use, develop enabling policies and initiate data governance for an informed decision-making process.

Celebrating the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem declared by UNESCO, the Foreign Ministry was a part of two initiatives.

As a joint coordinator for the Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Group on Mangrove Ecosystems and Livelihoods (MELAG), the Ocean Affairs, Environment and Climate Change Division of the Foreign Ministry, together with the Commonwealth Secretariat organized a webinar on the theme “International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem: Mapping Mangrove Ecosystems”. This theme was to raise awareness of the importance of mangrove ecosystems as “a unique, special and vulnerable ecosystem" and to promote solutions for their sustainable management, conservation and uses.

The webinar was aimed towards Commonwealth government officials, interested in how satellite images can help paint a comprehensive picture of global mangrove coverage. This knowledge can contribute to national policies and plans, blue carbon strategies, and Nationally Determined Contributions.

The speakers at the webinar included the Director General of Ocean Affairs, Environment and Climate Change Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake, describing the role of Sri Lanka’s leading role in the MELAG, key achievements and the ramifications of the X-Press Pearl ship Disaster on mangrove ecosystems; Director, Biodiversity Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment Pathma Abeykoon,  focussing on Sri Lanka’s achievements in mangrove conservation and restoration, including formulation of policy, guidelines and the action plan and importance of high resolution satellite images for mapping and monitoring; and Geospatial Research Fellow at the Institute of Marine Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago Nikia Gooding on their experience in using satellite and aerial photography to monitor mangroves, and Strategic Accounts of EMSA Planets satellite company Mark Richardson on how the company is collaborating with countries, particularly in mapping corals and mangroves. The webinar was moderated by Advisor on Ocean Governance, Blue Charter Project Dr. Jeff Ardon lead at the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Over 75 participants joined the webinar, across the globe, comprising mostly from the Commonwealth fraternity.

Further, celebrating this special day, the Department of Forests organized a mangrove planting campaign at the ‘Omari Lagoon’ in the east coast, under the auspices of the State Minister of Wildlife Protection, Adoption of Safety Measures including the Construction of Electrical Fences and Trenches and Re-foreststation and Forest Resource Development, Honourable Wimalaweera Disssanayake. The Foreign Ministry was represented by Director General of Ocean Affairs, Environment and Climate Change and the team.

The Omari Lagoon is a unique lagoon which is not directly connected to the sea; as the area is lower that the sea level, there is constant salinity seeping through the soil. Because of the mangroves, salinity is prevented from reaching the inland further. This allows rice cultivation to take place close to the mangroves. During the rainy season, the mud flats get flooded and fish in the mud flats come out and breed fast, enabling another livelihood option for the local communities – fisheries. This is a beautiful example of why we should conserve mangroves – as it directly contributes to livelihoods, in addition to of course the scientific fact that mangroves sequester 3 - 4 time more carbon than tropical forests.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

29 July, 2021

(https://mfa.gov.lk/mangrove-ecosystem/)

The inaugural Sinhalese Heritage Day and 43^rd Annual New Year Celebration organized by the Sri Lanka Canada Association of Ottawa (SLCAO) was held at the Parliament in Canada on 27^th April 2019. This event was organized in collaboration with Canada Sinhalese Association of Toronto, Sri Lanka United National association (SLUNA) of Toronto, Sri Lanka Canada Association of Manitoba (SLAM) and Friends of Sri Lanka in Montreal among others.

The ceremony comprised of Sri Lankan cultural dance/music performances, heritage stations exhibiting various aspects of Sinhalese heritage and complementary traditional Sri Lankan Food. The Sri Lanka High Commission station promoted Sri Lanka as a tourist destination and served complementary Ceylon tea to the visitors who attended the event.

The Sri Lanka High Commission in Canada in Coordination with Good Shepherd Church in Ottawa organized a Mass and a memorial service including interfaith observances on 28^th April 2019 to pay tribute to the victims of the attacks on 21^st April 2019 in Sri Lanka.

The Memorial Service began with a brief address by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Canada, Asoka Girihagama who stated that the attacks had only brought grief and destruction not only to Sri Lankans but also to a number of foreign nationals who were guests in Sri Lanka. He also said that the service was to remember all those who were affected and those who were injured by the senseless violence and strongly condemned the terrorist attacks targeting innocent people.

The new Ambassador of Cuba to Sri Lanka Andres Marcelo Gonzalez Garrido called on Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena today (29/07) at the Foreign Ministry.   Minister Gunawardena welcomed Ambassador Garrido who presented his credentials to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 22 July, 2021.

Foreign Minister Gunawardena conveyed President Rajapaksa’s appreciation to the Cuban government for the continued support and cooperation extended to Sri Lanka at multilateral fora, particularly at the United Nations Human Rights Council. While recalling the considerable assistance extended to Sri Lanka following the Asian Tsunami in 2004, he thanked the Cuban government for the medical assistance provided to the Sri Lankan expatriates who were stranded in Haiti at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Ambassador Garrido briefed the Foreign Minister Gunawardena on recent developments in Cuba and the Latin American region.

Foreign Minister Gunawardena also discussed a wide-range of bilateral matters with Ambassador Garrido, including the possibility to forge further cooperation in the areas of pharmaceutical and vaccine production, coconut and sugarcane cultivation and Spanish language courses in Sri Lanka, with a view to enhance the cordial relations prevailing at all levels between Sri Lanka and Cuba.

Foreign Ministry

Colombo

29 July 2021

(https://mfa.gov.lk/sl-fm-cuba/)