On an invitation of the Federal President, Mr. Joachim Gauck, the Diplomatic Corps accredited in the Federal Republic of Germany visited the Southern Baden region in the Southwest of Germany. H.E. the Ambassador of Sri Lanka Sarath Kongahage participated in the visit as a member of the delegation of Ambassadors.
Exercising a 'right of reply' with regard to references made to Sri Lanka by Germany, the US and Ireland under Agenda Item 4 - General Debate at the ongoing 24th Session of the Human Rights Council, the Sri Lanka delegation on Thursday (19 September 2013) said, it seemed ironic that at a time when for the first time since the introduction of the Provincial Council system in 1987 elections to the Northern Provincial Council are to be held later this week, that Germany should choose to discredit the process and prejudge its outcome and impact. It was noted that the commitment of the Government to ensure the transparent and free and fair conduct of the election not only to the Northern Provincial Council, but also to the Central and North Western Provincial Councils which go to the polls this Saturday is clearly demonstrated by the presence of 24 election observers from the South Asian region as well as from Commonwealth countries, on the invitation of the Elections Commissioner.
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A timely donation of Buddha statues to Sri Lankan Missions abroad by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in 2011 resulted in making Sri Lanka known among the people living in Tiantai, a remote yet famous town in Zhejiang Province.
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President Mahinda Rajapaksa joined the events organized by the Permanent Delegation of Sri Lanka to UNESCO to mark Vesak via a special video message in which he emphasized the teachings of the Buddha and other religions and their importance.
Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa who was in Paris on a special visit in connection with the commemoration of Vesak at UNESCO, highlighted the need for Vesak to be a stepping stone towards gr ...
Sri Lanka has emphasized that regulation, transparency and accountability of funding to NGOs and NPOs is a pre-requisite in the interest of national security and counter-terrorism as recognized by states, and that obligation placed on states to adhere to the regulatory framework in compliance with 40 Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force, makes it mandatory to monitor fund transfers of all financial institutions inclusive of NPOs and INGOs (associations) and other financial institutions, in countering financing of terrorism, money laundering or other related trans-national crimes.
Intervening during an Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association Mr. Maina Kiai, at the ongoing 23rd Session of the Human Rights Council on Thursday (30 May 2013), Sri Lanka's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Manisha Gunasekera, said " while Sri Lanka agrees that access to resources is important for the vibrant functioning of civil society, we observe that Mr. Kiai does not seem to adequately take into account the negative impact of lack of or insufficient regulation of funding of associations on national security and counter-terrorism". Cautioning that "some NGOs and associations can also play a fundamental role in feeding terrorism and conflict", Ms. Gunasekera recalled challenges faced by Sri Lanka where "front organisations of the LTTE posing as legitimate civil society organisations and charities based overseas formed part of a complex international terrorist network which through various means injected the funding and resources needed to nurture the thirty-year terrorist conflict in Sri Lanka. These are actual situations and experiences which the Rapporteur should take cognizance of in order to provide a balanced and pragmatic assessment on the subject of funding of associations and counter-terrorism".
Sri Lanka has observed that the Legal Aid Commission of Sri Lanka primarily funded by the state, covers most parts of the country with approximately 70 legal aid centres, including in the former conflict-affected areas, and records a high caseload and provision of services.
Intervening during an Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Lawyersand Judges at the ongoing 23rd Session of the Human Rights Council on Thursday (30 May 2013), Deputy Solicitor General Mr. Buwaneka Aluwihare noted that the National Plan of Action for the implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC has taken due note of the services that can be extended by legal aid centres in the post-conflict situation. The Commission’s mission is to identify those members of society who lack access to the remedies available to them under the law, and to make available to them means through which they can use the law and the legal system to secure justice.
The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva
