Govt and UN will promote socio-economic development - Bogollagama

In 2005, Sri Lanka celebrated its 50 years of membership of the United Nations, which coincided with the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his message on the occasion, refers to the United Nations’ unique function “as an organisation in which countries with widely differing political instructions and those at different stages of economic development, can exchange views, share their problems and experiences and probe each others’ reactions to policies of mutual interest”.

President Rajapaksa has reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s strong commitment to the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter, stating that the “Government of Sri Lanka will continue to work in partnership with the United Nations Country Team in Sri Lanka in the further promotion of socio-economic development of all peoples of our country”.

This was also the message my President conveyed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.

I will myself be continuing this dialogue shortly during my visit to New York in May, said Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama in his address at the seminar on “Sri Lanka and the United Nations (UN) A Partnership for Progress” held in Colombo on Friday.

The indispensable value of the United Nations and its network, covering virtually every human activity, has been amply demonstrated in Sri Lanka in times of national crisis whether it be in combating unprecedented challenges of terrorism or natural disasters such as the tsunami of December 2004.

The UN country team was among the first who came to the rescue when the devastating tsunami wrecked havoc in the Indian Ocean.

The UN has been engaged in a series of reforms to better meet the challenges of the new global realities. These reforms are also having a crucial impact on the Secretariat as seen in our recent discussions with senior UN officials.

Sri Lanka recognizes there are many needs in this area and will add its voice to the ongoing consultations in New York.

Here in Colombo the Foreign Ministry will make every endeavour to strengthen its dialogue with the UN Coordinator’s office and to recognize in particular the valuable contribution they are making currently in support of the Government’s Eastern Development strategy for the restoration of democracy and people’s participation.

Today’s meeting, will I hope be the first of many such joint encounters to deepen our valuable partnership.

The years of trust and partnership established between the UN and the Government have been the cornerstone of our relationship with each other, even in the most difficult of times. Sri Lanka has been fighting an internationally denounced ruthless terror group, the LTTE, for the past three decades.