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Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa
STATEMENT ON SAUDI ARABIA’S SAUDI GREEN AND MIDDLE EAST GREEN INITIATIVES
Sri Lanka congratulates the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Green and Middle East Green Initiatives, which call for regional cooperation to tackle the environmental challenges facing Saudi Arabia and the wider region.
Sri Lanka would keenly follow the ambitious projects designed to reduce carbon emissions in the region by 60 percent and the initiatives aim to preserve marine and coastal environments, the latter being much closer to our heart as an island nation.
Sri Lanka is also, at present experiencing the emerging harsh realities of global climate transformation. Therefore it is heartening to see that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is emerging as a country to take the lead on tackling the effort of climate change that will affect all humanity.
Sri Lanka would express its support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is looking forward to working with the Kingdom in our common approach to deal with climate change.
Foreign Ministry
Colombo
07 May 2021
SRI LANKA CONDEMNS THE TERRORIST ATTACK ON SPEAKER OF THE MALDIVIAN PARLIAMENT AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF MALDIVES HON. MOHAMED NASHEED
Sri Lanka condemns the terrorist attack on Hon. Mohamed Nasheed the Speaker of the Maldivian Parliament and the former President of Maldives, on 06 May 2021.
At this most critical time, the people and the Government of Sri Lanka join in expressing solidarity with the people and the Government of Maldives while strongly condemning all forms of violence.
07 May, 2021
Poson Celebrations at Parliament Hill, Canada
For the first time, Poson was celebrated at Parliament Hill on June 16, 2024. The event was hosted by Hon. Chandra Arya, Member of Parliament for Nepean, Ontario. The High Commission of Sri Lanka in Ottawa initiated and organized this significant event in collaboration with the Sri Lankan temples, community, recognizing the cultural importance of Poson to Sri Lanka.
Several esteemed Buddhist monasteries and cultural centers participated in the celebration, including Hilda Jayawardenaramaya Buddhist Monastery, Ottawa Theravada Buddhist Vihara and Cultural Centre, Ottawa Buddhist Viharaya, and Sri Sambuddhagaya Viharaya in Montreal.
Hon. Chandra Arya addressed the gathering, emphasizing the necessity of preserving the cultural heritage of Sri Lankan Buddhists. Ven. Kekunadure Hemalankara Thero spoke on the significance of Poson to Sri Lankan Buddhists, while Ambassador Bharat Raj Paudyal from the Embassy of Nepal highlighted the importance of Buddhism. Indian Deputy High Commissioner Chinmoy Naik traced the history and spread of Buddhism from India to other countries and underscored the strengthening of bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka through religious tourism. Anzul Jhan, Acting High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, expressed gratitude to Hon. Arya for providing the Sri Lankan community with the opportunity to celebrate this important event at Parliament Hill. She commended the leadership of the Buddhist temples in Ottawa and Montreal for their role in organizing the community and recalled the traditional Poson celebrations in Sri Lanka, appreciating the dedication and commitment of the community in recreating the Poson spirit through decorations at Parliament Hill.
The event commenced with guided meditation led by Ven. Nugagalayaye Jinanada Thero, followed by chanting of Pirith. The program included Bakthi Gee, a documentary on Poson, several devotional dance performances, and contributions from community members. The children displayed their artwork on the importance of Poson and there was also a Poson greeting card drawing booth. A special "Saruwath Dansala” was also organized as part of the celebrations.
Sri Lanka High Commission
Ottawa
20th June 2024
THE UK AND SRI LANKA LEAD ON ‘NITROGEN FOR CLIMATE AND GREEN RECOVERY’ 27 - 29 APRIL 2021, COLOMBO
The British High Commission in Colombo and the Government of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka this week held a virtual event “Nitrogen for Climate and Green Recovery”, held on 27 - 29 April 2021, in Colombo.
The event launched the #Nitrogen4NetZero initiative, to widen engagement on sustainable nitrogen management in this crucial year for climate action.
Colombo, 5 May 2021
#Nitrogen4NetZero is an initiative launched in partnership between the British High Commission, Colombo and the Government of Sri Lanka, championed by H.E. the President of Sri Lanka. The two key messages are that Net Zero will be impossible to achieve without action on nitrogen, and that action on nitrogen will offer multiple co-benefits for health, nature and economy.
Delivering a statement to the event, on behalf of His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Foreign Minister Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena emphasised that:
“...Climate scientists have been studying and grappling with the impact of increased carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere for decades. I believe it is important to address the issue of nitrogen waste in a similarly urgent way, and to broaden the ongoing discourse on climate change accordingly.”
Speaking last year COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma had underlined the importance of joint action on climate change this year:
“Tackling climate change is the one of the most urgent shared endeavours of our lifetimes, demanding bold action from every nation to prevent catastrophic global warming’……2021 is absolutely going to be a critical year for climate. I want to see the golden thread of climate action woven through every international event on the road to Glasgow.”
The United Kingdom will host COP26 in Glasgow later this year, and as the incoming Presidency are committed to working with Sri Lanka to accelerate climate ambition in 2020 and 2021.
At COP26, the United Kingdom will demonstrate the urgency and the opportunities of the journey towards a zero carbon economy and the power of international cooperation to address the gravest challenges the world faces. To ensure success countries need to commit to reaching net zero carbon emissions as soon as possible.
However, the transition to net zero emissions will also require action on nitrogen to reduce nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential around 300 times that of carbon dioxide. A focus on reducing nitrogen pollution offers multiple win-wins across sustainable development for air, water, biodiversity, stratospheric ozone depletion, soils, food and the economy. These issues have been recognized by the UN Environment Assembly Resolution on ‘Sustainable Nitrogen Management’ (UNEP/EA.4/Res.14), led by India, and the Colombo Declaration led by Sri Lanka, which agreed an ambition to halve nitrogen waste from all sources by 2030, offering the potential to save $100 billion annually.
The #Nitrogen4NetZero initiative with member countries of the South Asian Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) prepares the way to widen engagement in this crucial year for climate action. The initiative is being prepared with science support from the “GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub”, supported by UK Research and Innovation through its Global Challenges Research Fund. The hub forms part of a global effort working in partnership with the UN Environment Program and the Global Environment Facility through the International Nitrogen Management System, led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.
Further information
For details about the ‘Nitrogen for Climate and Green Recovery’ event and for further information on #Nitrogen4NetZero, visit https://www.inms.international/nitrogen4netzero/events
The #Nitrogen4NetZero launch video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6n0MqW5JfY
The “South Asian Nitrogen Hub” of the Global Challenge Research Fund is a £20M program supported by from UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), working in partnership will all eight countries of the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP). It is coordinated by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. See “Nitrogen pollution is no laughing mattter” https://www.ceh.ac.uk/press/nitrogen-pollution-no-laughing-matter
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