An International Cooperation Agreement (ICA) to enhance scientific cooperation in High Energy Physics between the scientific community of Sri Lanka and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), was signed in Geneva on Wednesday (8 February 2017). Minister of Science, Technology & Research, Susil Premajayantha and the Director for International Relations of CERN, Ms. Charlotte Warakaulle signed on behalf of the two parties.
Delivering a keynote addressed at the World Health Organisation (WHO) meeting on ‘Rehabilitation 2030: A Call for Action’, in Geneva on Monday (6th February) Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine Dr Rajitha Senaratne said that the Government of Sri Lanka has identified Rehabilitative Health Services as the third pillar of Sri Lanka’s health care delivery system, in addition to the earlier focus on curative and preventive health services. Minister Senaratne was invited by the WHO, together with Minister of Health of Botswana and Deputy Minister of Health of Lao People’s Democratic Republic to deliver the keynote addresses at the meeting, and share the experience of their country efforts in rehabilitation services.
Switzerland, a co-chair of the UN intergovernmental consultations on the modalities for the process for adoption of the ‘Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration’, has commended the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) chaired by Sri Lanka, for its proactive action to seek close engagement in the process of development of the Global Compact on Migration (GCM). Mr. Pietro Mona, Deputy Head, Global Program on Migration and Development of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, acknowledged the leadership of Sri Lanka and the ADD troika, which also includes Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for initiating such a dialogue within the ADD, even before the resolution on modalities for the intergovernmental negotiation on the Global Compact was adopted by the UN General Assembly.
GENEVA (ILO News) – On 12 January 2016, the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka deposited with the International Labour Office the instrument of ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006). Sri Lanka is the 81st ILO member State and the 16th Asian State to have ratified the Convention.
Sri Lanka said that it supports the establishment of a Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) in 2017, within the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and to elevate the dialogue on LAWS to a State –driven formal process.
The Director General of International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ambassador William Lacy Swing commended Sri Lanka’s dynamic leadership in Migration in connection with the important role played by Sri Lanka as the current chair of the Colombo Process. In particular Ambassador Swing highlighted the development of the five thematic areas ; Skills and Qualification Recognition, Ethical Recruitment, Pre-departure Orientation, Remittances and Labour Market Trends, under Sri Lanka’s chair of the Colombo Process.
A CDIP Project titled “Intellectual Property, Tourism and Culture” was launched in Sri Lanka through a WIPO Mission undertaken from 2-6 May 2016. This Mission brought together the main stakeholders in the fields of IP, tourism and culture, and a National Steering Committee has been established for the project implementation at national level. In the framework of this Project, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has been appointed as the coordinating agency for the project implementation in Sri Lanka.