The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) successfully conducted a two day Seminar on Disarmament for Sri Lanka Foreign Service Officers on 25 and 26 April, 2025 at the Ministry. Over 40 officers based in Colombo attended the workshop physically while over 60 officers attached to Sri Lanka Missions abroad followed the Seminar virtually.
Madam President
Excellencies
Distinguished delegates
First, let me congratulate Her Excellency ICHIKAWA Tomiko, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Japan on assuming the Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament. I wish to assure you of my country’s fullest support and cooperation for the success of the CD. I also sincerely thank Italy; the First President to the CD this year for the leadership in adopting the programme of work and setting the ground for this year’s work. Let me reiterate the support of Sri Lanka to Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia and Mexico; the incoming presidents for 2025 and wish them strength to unlock the deadlock the CD has been in for over two decades and resume its substantive work.
2024 Meeting of High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (CCW)
Agenda Item 7 – General Exchange of Views
14 November 2024
Mr. President,
Let me begin by congratulating you on the assumption of the Presidency of the 2024 Meeting of High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Please be assured of the fullest support and cooperation of the delegation of Sri Lanka for arriving at the desired outcome of this important forum.
Twelfth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions
10 – 13 September 2024
Statement by Sri Lanka
Agenda Item 8: General Exchange of Views
Madam President
Distinguished Delegates
Sri Lanka extends its warm congratulations to Her Excellency Francisca E. Méndez Escobar, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Mexico for assuming the Presidency of the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. I assure you the fullest support of the delegation of Sri Lanka in achieving a productive and meaningful outcome of this meeting.
Statement by Sri Lanka
Second session of the 2024 CCW Group of Governmental Experts on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (GGE on LAWS),
26-30 August 2024
Agenda Item 5
Mr. Chair
Distinguished delegates
First, let me congratulate and express our gratitude to the Chair for the continued work in advancing the dialogue on Lethal and Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) as well as for the preparatory work of the second session of the GGE on LAWS. We appreciate the ‘rolling text’ presented by the Chair on a set of elements of an instrument to facilitate the discussions of this session.
- Sri Lanka co-hosted a Side Event during the 4th Session of the Working Group on Strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), 22 August 2024
- Statement by Her Excellency Himalee Arunatilaka, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva at the 2nd Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
- Statement by Sri Lanka at the 2nd Preparatory Committee for the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, 22 July – 02 August 2024 ( Item 4 - General debate )