Hon. Speakers,
Hon. Members of Parliament,
distinguished guests,
ladies and gentlemen,
To begin with, I feel deeply honored and privileged to be in this wonderful city, the second biggest city of Switzerland, representing my delegation. It is a great pleasure for me to address the 151st IPU Assembly today. I wish to thank the Honorable Chairpersons and Speakers, the Honorable Members of the IPU, and the organizers of this event for their tremendous efforts in ensuring the success of this prestigious gathering. Today’s IPU Assembly provides a timely platform for strengthening cooperation among democracies.
A new era of business ties begins with the launch of CCSS at the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka in Geneva.
Led by Swiss-based professionals & diaspora, CCSS fills a long-standing gap in B2B relations—promoting trade, investment, tourism & services.
- Hon. Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe praised this as a pioneering, people-driven initiative
- GoSL assures full support for CCSS efforts
- Strong signals of private sector interest in deepening ties
On the sidelines of the 5th WTO Trade Policy Review, Hon. Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe held key bilateral meetings to boost Sri Lanka’s trade, labour, and digital cooperation agenda.
- Met with ILO to enhance social protection and cooperative reform
- Engaged WEF on investment & digital trade strategies
- Strengthened collaboration with ITC on MSMEs & SheTrades
- Discussed trade facilitation and IFD with EU WTO Ambassador
- Secretary to the Ministry also met STDF to explore SPS support
Hon. Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe led Sri Lanka’s 5th Trade Policy Review (TPR) at the WTO, presenting bold economic reforms and reaffirming commitment to transparent, inclusive trade governance.
- Focus areas: Tariff reform, MSME support, digital trade
- Praise for Fisheries Subsidies ratification
- Support pledged by key trading partners
Minister also met Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of WTO to align technical cooperation with Sri Lanka’s trade reform agenda.
Mr. Chair,
Madam Secretary-General,
Excellencies, Colleagues,
Sri Lanka is pleased to join this Ministerial Meeting and fully aligns with the Declaration just adopted. We thank you, Mr. Chair, for your leadership and commend the unity of our Group at this critical juncture.
Mr. President,
Madam Secretary-General of UNCTAD,
Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,
It is a great honour for Sri Lanka to speak at this important UNCTAD XVI Conference. I thank the Government and people of Switzerland for hosting us in this historic city of Geneva, where UNCTAD was born over 60 years ago.
Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe, Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development paid a courtesy call on Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director General of the International Labour Organization on 16 October 2025 at the ILO Office, on the margins of the Fifth Review of the Trade Policies and Practices of Sri Lanka, which is being held from 15-17 October 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Statement by Sri Lanka at the Champion Countries and Donors Dialogue – “Turning Commitments into Action: GCM National Implementation Plans and the Catalytic Value of the Capacity Building Mechanism” held on 9 October 2025 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva
- Statement by Sri Lanka as the country concerned during the consideration of draft resolution HRC. 60/L.1/Rev.1 on Sri Lanka at the 60th Session of Human Rights Council on 6th October 2025
- Sri Lanka reaffirms its commitment to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances