Professor Peiris chaired the thirty fifth meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Group of 15 (G-15) in New York on 27 September 2012. Observing that the meeting is taking place at a critical juncture when the strength of the world economy is shifting towards the developing world and an increasing number of these countries are turning to South-South cooperation to overcome their difficulties and challenges, the Minister expressed the belief that engagement among member states would advance the common cause of the G-15 as well as the wider community of developing countries. Minister Peiris welcomed the fact that the Group is well on the path to regeneration and revival, a process that was given direction and momentum at the meeting of the High Level Task Force for the Review and Revitalization of the Group, held in Colombo.
Established as a Summit Level Group of developing countries in September 1989, following the conclusion of the Ninth Non-Aligned Summit meeting in Belgrade, the G-15 comprises 17 developing countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The aims and objectives of the Grouping are to harness the considerable potential for mutually beneficial cooperation among developing countries as well as to serve as a forum for the conduct of their regular consultations. At this meeting, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha as the Chair of the Personal Representatives, presented the highlights of the activities undertaken by the Group since last year. The 15th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the G-15 has been scheduled to be held in Colombo in 2013.
Sri Lanka Mission
Geneva
26 September 2012
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