Statement by Sri Lanka at the 57th session of the
UNHCR Executive Committee – 3 October 2006
Mr Chairman, dear Asian Colleague,
The delegation of Sri Lanka congratulates you on your well deserved election to chair this 57thsession of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme and our good wishes also to the Bureau. We wish Deputy High Commissioner Wendy Chamberlin all the best for future success and thank her for her endeavours at UNHCR.
Madam President,
On behalf of the observer delegation of Sri Lanka, I would like to congratulate you on your election as President of this meeting. The delegation of Sri Lanka would like to take the floor under this agenda item to provide a brief account of its position with regard to the Ottawa Convention as well as the on-going humanitarian de-mining activities in the country.
Mr. President,
I would like to thank High Commissioner Arbour for her update on the current global human rights situation. We had hoped however that OHCHR would have engaged our Mission earlier to convey your concerns on Sri Lanka. We have always been available for fostering a dialogue of cooperation and mutual respect.
Mr. Chairman
Distinguished delegates and
representatives of UN and International Organizations
I am in Switzerland to make a presentation at the Conference on International Disaster Reduction which is being held in Davos. Having received an invitation from UNDP, I am also pleased on this same occasion to be able to make a statement at today’s launch of the Common Humanitarian Action Plan for Sri Lanka and to present some perspectives from the Government of Sri Lanka.
Mr. President,
Since this is the first time my delegation is taking the floor under your Presidency, may I extend our sincere felicitations and commend the serious manner in which your Presidency has been prepared, with wide consultations and also for your initiative of organising the seminar by UNIDIR on negative security assurances, an important topic which continues to engage our attention. You quite rightly reminded us in your opening statement that the issue of negative security assurances has figured from earliest times on the agenda of the Committee on Disarmament since its creation in 1979 and subsequently in the renamed Conference on Disarmament due to their continued significance as a confidence building measure. We also appreciate the impressive compilation of the documents on NSA’s put together by the Secretariat and distributed in the Conference.
It is indeed an honour for me to chair this ECOSOC High Level Segment Roundtable on globalization and labour migration. I thank the organizers of the High Level Segment for arranging what I believe will be a very interesting and relevant discussion and also for the preparation of the comprehensive Issues Note, which will be elaborated by the Co-Moderators. I will make only a few introductory remarks at this stage.
Statement by H.E. Ms. Sarala Fernando,
Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN
in Geneva and Chairperson of the ILO’s Governing Body Committee on Employment and Social Policy (ESP)
at the ECOSOC High Level Segment Roundtable on
“Creating Decent Work Opportunities with Productivity Growth”
5 July, 2006
ECOSOC is welcome to Geneva. Here in this serene environment and the background culture of peace, there is a renaissance of multilateralism, which could be attributed to both wise and energetic leadership in the UN and international organizations in Geneva as well as the serious and constructive dialogue witnessed among all stakeholders. Our efforts are aimed to both build a vision for the future founded on a sound knowledge base with agreed political objectives, as well as practical work at the technical level to design appropriate projects and programmes to be implemented at national, regional and global levels.
Mr. President
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen
The High level dialogue has focused on many important areas in generating full and productive employment and decent work for all. We are all in agreement that the access to work is the surest way out of poverty. At the same time those countries that pursued social policy goals underline that this is a sound and sustainable investment for growth; supportive public policies in health, education and gender empowerment together with an enabling environment for entrepreneurship can provide impetus to employment creation.
Mr. President,
Excellencies,
High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Distinguished delegates,
On behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, and on my own behalf, may I congratulate you Mr. President on your election to the Chair of this historic inaugural session of the UN Human Rights Council. I would like to assure you my delegation’s support and cooperation as you undertake the onerous task of presiding over the deliberations of this august body.
Mr. President
I am pleased to deliver this statement on behalf of the Asian Group.
At the outset we would like to thank Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary General of UNCTAD for his comprehensive statement. We would also like to thank Secretariat for its timely preparation of documentation which contain valuable recommendations that will certainly assist in our deliberations.
Mr. President,
Since this is the first time my delegation is taking the floor under your Presidency of the Conference, I take this opportunity to extend our sincere congratulations and also to compliment the serious, careful manner in which your Presidency has been prepared. You may, of course, count on the full support of my delegation and myself personally as a Friend of the President to contribute to the successful conclusion of your task. We appreciate the impressive compilation of the basic documents on PAROS put together by the Secretariat and distributed today.
Opening remarks by Chairperson H.E. Mme Sarala Fernando at the undred and Third Session of the Executive Committee of IOM, 7th June, 2006
Excellencies,
Mr. Director-General
distinguished delegates
I would like to thank you for my election to Chair this session of the Executive Committee. I take it as an honour to my country which has recently joined the Executive Committee for the first time. I also congratulate the Vice President Mr. Osvald Alvarez of Chile on his election.
Decent Work as a Global Goal: The Role of Development Cooperation
Chairperson,
On behalf of the government and the delegation of Sri Lanka, it is a great honour for me to address this panel on Technical Cooperation with a specific focus on Decent Work as a Global Goal: The Role of Development Cooperation.
Chairperson,
I understand that Sri Lanka is one of the first countries in Asia, where we have taken the Decent Work concept into our national development planning. In addition to the Decent Work Country Programme, which we finalized in 2004 together with the trade unions and the employers’ organisation, I am very pleased to inform you that we have now finalised the National Policy on decent work with a National Plan of action that gives directions on key areas for implementation in Sri Lanka.
Mr. President, Your Excellencies and distinguished delegates.
Mr President,
I extend our congratulations and best wishes to you and the Vice-Presidents of this Assembly.
On behalf of H.E. the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Government and people of Sri Lanka, I wish to extend our deepest condolences on the sudden passing away of Director General Dr. Lee Jong-wook. We extend our sincere condolences to the family of Dr. Lee and to the larger family of WHO in their moment of grief for a leader who brought effective management and a new vision to this organization. Sri Lanka will not forget Dr. Lee’s visit to Sri Lanka in the midst of our tsunami crisis to offer the support of WHO in our time of need.
Mr. President,
Since this is the first time I am speaking under your Presidency, may I extend our greetings and convey sincere good wishes for every success. Although you did mention on 23rd March that your opening remarks had lost much of their traditional value due to the unprecedented P6 initiative, it could also be said that within this collective engagement, each President has his own important responsibility; during your tenure of office, this will include preparing and conducting the structured debate on FMCT. You also rightly reminded us that the debate takes place in the background of extensive early FMCT related consultations in the CD.
Mr. Chairman,
I am pleased to deliver this statement on behalf of the Asian Group.
At the outset we would like to thank Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary General of UNCTAD for his comprehensive and focussed statement. We would also like to thank the Secretariat for the stocktaking report which shows important progress has been made in the implementation of the Sao Paulo Consensus (SPC), while noting also areas for improvement. We expect UNCTAD to fully implement over the next two years, the mandate given to it by its Member States at Sao Paulo. A renewal or a complete review of UNCTAD’s mandate can only be undertaken by the quadrennial conferences.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure, in my capacity as Chair of the 2005 session of the Joint Advisory Group meeting, to open this thirty ninth session. I welcome Mr. Pascal Lamy, the Director General of WTO and Dr. Supatchai Panitchpakdi the Secretary General of UNCTAD. Equally I recognize Mr. Denis Bélisle Executive Director of ITC, his successor-designate Mrs Patricia Francis and Mr Stephen Browne, the recently appointed Deputy Executive Director. UNCTAD, WTO and ITC must be congratulated for the smooth execution of the plan for the succession of ITC’s senior management team.
The successful conclusion of the Negotiations under the Doha Development Agenda would result in significant gains to both developed and developing countries. However, as in the case of the Uruguay Round, these gains will not be evenly distributed. The trade liberalization would also entail additional costs, to some developing countries. The impact of these will be particularly harsh on the LDCs and the weak and vulnerable economies. Furthermore, some developing countries also will not benefit from the multilateral trade liberalization as they do not have the capacity to compete in the global markets with more competitive exporters from developed and more advanced export-oriented developing countries.
Mr. Chairman,
I am pleased to deliver this statement on behalf of the Asian Group.
At the outset we would like to congratulate you and other members of the Bureau on your well deserved election. We stand ready to assist you in the challenging task to make this Commission a success with tangible results. I also thank Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary General of the UNCTAD for his comprehensive statement and the Secretariat for its pertinent and timely preparation of documents for this meeting. These contributions contained valuable ideas and recommendations that will no doubt assist our deliberations.
The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) met in Geneva 22-23 February 2006 for talks on the Ceasefire Agreement. The parties discussed issues related to the ceasefire, including the concerns of the Muslim, Sinhalese, and Tamil civilians.
22 February,2006-Geneva-Switzerland
Hon. Minister Erik Solheim and the Facilitation team,
Mr. Anton Balasingham and members of the LTTE delegation,
Colleagues,
Introduction
On behalf of H.E. the President of the Republic of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Government of Sri Lanka, I am pleased to make these preliminary comments at the commencement of the talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, facilitated by the Royal Norwegian Government and hosted by the Government of Switzerland. At the outset, let me thank all the parties, including the Co-Chairs, who have worked tirelessly to make this event a reality.
Mr. Chairman,
Distinguished delegates
I felicitate you Mr. Chairman and the Bureau on your well-deserved election and assure you of the full cooperation of the Sri Lanka delegation in the successful conduct of this important conference.
Mr. Chairman,
Sri Lanka participated actively in the negotiation process of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Consequently, we were the first country in the region and fourth in the world to ratify this first ever public health treaty. This is indeed a matter of pride for our nation and for our region.
In order to follow up on our ratification, the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health conducted an Inter-ministerial Conference on FCTC Implementation inviting all relevant stakeholders in January, 2004. The objective of this conference was to establish a mechanism for smooth implementation of provisions identified in the FCTC. Planning for multi-sectoral tobacco control strategies was extremely important, as the health sector alone could not implement a comprehensive tobacco control policy and programme in the country. We have set a firm initiative for collaborative action towards FCTC implementation in Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Health will play the leading role as the focal point, ensuring coordinated action by relevant stakeholders.
We realize that a comprehensive national legislation for tobacco control is needed for implementation of our obligations as a Party to the treaty. While planning for expansion of the scope of existing legislative measures, the Government is already committed to this cause and a comprehensive Act of Parliament is under preparation.
While waiting for these legislative measures, we are pleased to inform that our awareness campaigns and other effective tobacco control strategies have already enabled a reduction of consumption by 4% and there is growing public awareness of the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.
Mr. Chairman,
Sri Lanka would like to reiterate its dedication to protect present and future generations from the tobacco epidemic in our country and we do affirm our commitment to the global community by supporting and implementing FCTC provisions to the highest levels.
Thank you.
Mr. Chairman,
The delegation of Sri Lanka extends sincere congratulations to you and the Bureau on your election and assures you of our full cooperation in the successful completion of the Conference.
Historically maritime issues have had a special consideration within ILO, as witnessed by the treatment of these issues at special Maritime sessions. This session marks a significant step in ILO standard setting activities in this area by the proposed adoption of a single Comprehensive Convention, forward looking, addressing issues of contemporary concern in a practical manner facilitating future updating of technical standards. ILO’s technical cooperation in the effective implementation of the Convention, if adopted, would be invaluable.
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