UNGA – Interest in post-conflict progress in Sri Lanka

The initiative of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in appointing the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission are matters that are of interest to many nations and leaders participating in the UNGA Sessions this year, states a media release from the Policy Research and Information Unit (PRIU) of the Presidential Secretariat.

The media release in full:

The United Nations General Assembly that opened its 65th Session on September 14, will this week see Heads of State and Government gather for a three-day High Level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG Summit) from September 20 to 22, which will be followed the annual general debate which features statements by Heads of State and Government, from September 23 to 30th.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is due to address both the MDG Summit and the General Assembly sessions. Matters that will feature prominently in the General Assembly Sessions will be the follow- up on the MDG Summit initiatives, issues of Climate Change, Food Security, Reconstruction and strengthening of fragile and post-conflict areas, Disarmament, United Nations Reform, including Security Council Reform and revitalization of work of the General Assembly, as well as a review of the Peace Building Commission and the Human Rights Council.

There is considerable interest in the participation of the Sri Lankan President in the current sessions of the UNGA as this will be his first address to the Assembly since Sri Lanka successfully defeated terrorism in May 2009, and has also gained much recognition for the speed with which the country has successfully brought down the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) from nearly 300,000 in May last year to less that 25,000 today.

The success of the Sri Lankan economy in the post-conflict period, with an unprecedented pattern of growth, in the midst of a global economic and financial crisis, and the new opportunities for investment in Sri Lanka are also matters that are drawing the attention of UN organizations and various international and regional think-tanks participating and observing development trends and strategies worldwide, at this UNGA Sessions.

The initiative of President Rajapaksa in appointing the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission that focuses on restorative justice, and also taking administrative, legal and political steps to prevent such crises in the future, as well as show the way to other nations too, in matters of combating and defeating terrorism, and working towards reconciliation are also matters that are of interest to many nations and leaders participating in the UNGA Sessions this year.

Aspects of cooperation in development, investment, and better relations with Sri Lanka will feature prominently in the several bi-lateral meetings that President Rajapaksa will have with other Heads of State and leaders of delegations to the UNGA.

Other major events listed during this 65th Sessions of the UNGA are a high-level meeting in support of the International Year of Biodiversity; a high-level review to assess the progress made in addressing the vulnerabilities of small island developing States through implementation of the Mauritius Strategy, which deals with the unique development problems of these vulnerable group of countries, in such areas as environmental management, transport, trade and sustainable development.