High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

High Commissioner Kariyawasam leads the Sri Lanka delegation to the Delhi Ministerial Dialogue on Green Economy and Inclusive Growth PDF Print option in slimbox / lytebox? (info) E-mail
Monday, 03 October 2011 18:09

The Delhi Ministerial Dialogue on Green Economy and Inclusive Growth, co-hosted by the Government of India and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development was inaugurated on 3 October by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests of India, Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan. The Delhi Dialogue aims to support the preparations for Rio+20 by providing a platform for international deliberations on opportunities for a green economy to reinforce countries' poverty eradication and social development agendas including through enhancing good security and energy security of the poor. Government officials and delegates from 54 countries and 12 UN agencies are attending the two day Conference.

Leading Sri Lanka's delegation to the Conference, High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam stated that Sri Lanka has had an unbroken record of sustainable resource consumption conceived and implemented based on Buddhist and Hindu cultural concepts dating back two-and-a-half millennia. Therefore, Sri Lanka has been fortunate to have escaped man-made environmental problems in any significant proportion until the latter quarter of the 20th century. Unfortunately, with the transition from an agricultural economy to industry, rise in population and increasing consumerism, Sri Lanka is now experiencing several environmental issues that have an increasingly negative impact on sustainable development endeavors.

High Commissioner Kariyawasam informed the gathering of the green growth initiatives Sri Lanka has adopted to hasten the country's journey towards achieving sustainable development and economic growth such as the establishment of the National Council for Sustainable Development, the Green Lanka Programme to evolve long term plans for sustainable economic and social development, the enacting of an Environmental Conservation Levy Act to secure financial resources in environmental management, and the development of an index called "Sustainable Human Development Index" to interpret human development with ecological factors.

Referring to the high quality of life especially in education and healthcare in Sri Lanka and the many welfare programmess the country has put in place to eradicate poverty and malnutrition, the High Commissioner said that in terms of natural resources and biodiversity conservation, Sri Lanka has maintained a satisfactory level of natural forest (23%) and tree cover (over 60% of land area). Moreover, in respect of climate change, Sri Lanka is in an insignificant position being a low carbon emission country with only 600kg per person per year. However, he regretted that despite having achieved a low carbon economy ensuring sustainable development, Sri Lanka has not received any significant global recognition and support in global mechanisms and processes of climate change mitigation and adaptation.

(Full text of High Commissioner Kariyawasam’s speech)
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Important to use traditional knowledge and folklore as tools for creating peace and stability in our region – High Commissioner Kariyawasam PDF Print option in slimbox / lytebox? (info) E-mail
Saturday, 01 October 2011 04:39

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The 4th SAARC Folklore and Heritage Festival organised by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL), was inaugurated in Agra on 30 September. The three-day Festival draws together academics, experts in folklore, poets, dancers, artists, musicians, archaeologists and government officials from the region.

Delivering the key note address at the inauguration, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Prasad Kariyawasam, stating that it is important to consider folkore as fundamental experience of human life and not as a vestige of pre-industrial societies, urged the experts from the region present at the Festival to seek ways and means for traditional knowledge and folklore to be used as tools for creating peace and stability in the South Asian region (the text of the full Statement is appended below).

Participants from Sri Lanka included Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and the Arts, Wimal Rubesinghe and Professors Ariyarathne Kaluarachchi, Jayasena Kottegoda, Tissa Kariyawasam and Praneeth Abhayasundara.

The fifteen-member Ravibandhu-Samanthi Dance Ensemble and a troupe led by Professor Ariyarathne Kaluarachchi from Sri Lanka joined dancers and performers from the South Asia region to perform in several venues in Agra during the Festival.

At the conclusion of the Folklore Festival, the Ravibandhu-Samanthi Dance Ensemble will travel to Chandigarh, Delhi and Chennai for performances organised jointly by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the High Commission of Sri Lanka in India.
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HE the President addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, 23 September 2011 PDF Print option in slimbox / lytebox? (info) E-mail
Monday, 26 September 2011 06:56

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Statement by H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka at the General Debate of the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly.  

Mr. President of the Sixty Sixth Session of the General Assembly, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Your Excellency Nassir Abdul Aziz Al-Nasser on your assumption of the Presidency. I must also congratulate His Excellency Ban-ki-Moon warmly on his re-election as Secretary-General and we look forward to working with him constructively.

As we gather here today, it is appropriate to reflect on the values and ideals which inspire the United Nations system. One of the principal attributes is the spirit of flexibility which has always been a feature of the United Nations. 

We must acknowledge the need for that spirit of openness and adaptability today, more than at any other time. This is because the foundations of the world order, are being transformed dramatically and fundamentally. At the heart of these changes is the need to protect smaller countries in the developing world and to advance their interests vigorously.

In the midst of uncertainty there are some things which must remain constant.  These reflect our esteemed beliefs and convictions. Despite repeated references in this Assembly by many member countries on the right of the Palestinian people to a State of their own within secure borders, we still have not been able to make it a reality. 

It is a matter for profound disappointment that this has not yet happened. There is a window of opportunity now and we must make use of it before it is too late. It is time for decisive action rather than more discussion. This will be in the interest of the security and the well being of the entire region including Israel.
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H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa with the Prime Minister of India H.E. Dr. Manmohan Singh at a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, 23 September 2011. PDF Print option in slimbox / lytebox? (info) E-mail
Monday, 26 September 2011 06:50
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Sri Lanka President has arrived in New York PDF Print option in slimbox / lytebox? (info) E-mail
Wednesday, 21 September 2011 05:48

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President Mahinda Rajapaksa accompanied by First Lady Shiranthi Wickremasinghe Rajapaksa has arrived in New York to attend the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The President and the delegation were warmly welcomed by  Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Mission in New York Dr.Palitha Kohona, Deputy Ambassador Major General Shavendra Silva and the staff of the mission.

President Rajapakse attended the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative on 20 September 2011.

Established in 2005 by former US President Bill Clinton, the CGI is a premier global gathering for current and former heads of state, chief executives of corporations, philanthropists and directors of non-profit organizations.
 
Former President Clinton warmly received President Rajapaksa and thanked Sri Lanka for the cooperation extended in forming the CGI.
 
During this seventh meeting in New York, participants will discuss a detailed plan for addressing major global challenges in the areas of economic empowerment, education, environment and energy, and global health.
 
Several leaders including US President Barack Obama, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, South African President Jacob Zuma, General Secretary for National League for Democracy Aung San Suu Kyi, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu will participate in the two-day meeting.
 
During the meeting held on 20 September, the Standard Chartered Bank announced that it will raise US$ 100 million by 2020 to build sustainable eye-care services across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
 
The plenary session led by former President Clinton was focused on climate change.

The UN General Assembly opened on Tuesday September 13, its 66th session at the UN Headquarters in New York  with the participation of 193 member countries.  The High Level meeting of the General Assembly with the participation of World Leaders will be held on September 22 & 23.
 
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