With the objective of enhancing Sri Lanka-UK cooperation in the justice sector, High Commissioner Rohitha Bogollagama engaged in formal discussions with the officials of the International Engagement team of the Ministry of Justice of the United Kingdom on 9 May 2024. Head of International Engagement, Rule of Law & Overseas Territories of UK Ministry of Justice David Meyer led the discussion which explored possible areas for cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom in the areas of justice and prison reforms, arbitration, and Rule of Law. The meeting was joined by Kaminika Raichura, Head of International Bilateral Engagement and Ed Tynan, Head of International Rule of Law – Projects and Policy of the Ministry of Justice. High Commissioner Bogollagama was joined by Minister Counsellor Hiruni Rajapakse and Third Secretary Seniya Galigamuwa at the meeting.
The two sides engaged in in-depth conversation to identify areas for cooperation in terms of justice sector reforms; rehabilitation, prison and probation services; arbitration; online safety and child protection, and illegal migration. Head of International Engagement, Rule of Law & Overseas Territories David Meyer deliberated on judicial structure in the UK with discussions centring on the devolution of judicial powers to Scotland. The High Commissioner expressed interest in engaging in further discussions on the UK models of devolution with the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government representatives.
High Commissioner Bogollagama requested the Ministry of Justice to facilitate training for Sri Lankan judicial officers and Police which will provide the opportunity to learn from the UK’s best practices. He also invited a technical team from the UK Ministry of Justice to visit Sri Lanka to facilitate training the trainer’s programmes for judicial officers. Concerning prison and probationary services, the possibility of arranging a delegation from Sri Lanka for familiarisation visits to rehabilitation centres and prisons was considered. In addition, the discussion touched on the system of electronic tagging of offenders and its applicability in the Sri Lankan context. High Commissioner Bogollagama also sought the expertise of the Ministry of Justice to develop a legislative apparatus to strengthen cyberviolence against children in Sri Lanka. It was agreed to take forward these discussions through subject focused meetings at the expert level to further identify specific areas for cooperation.
The meeting was a follow-up to High Commissioner Bogollagama’s engagement with, Minister for Courts and Legal Services of the United Kingdom Mike Freer, during the official visit of Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms of Sri Lanka Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe in March. The discussion will serve as a catalyst for deeper engagement and collaboration between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom in the justice sector enabling Sri Lanka to reach international rule of law and justice standards.
High Commission of Sri Lanka
London
12 June 2024
