An island’s influence on the UN
by Subinay Nandy
The year 2015 marks an important milestone in Sri Lanka’s
relationship with the United Nations. It is the 70th anniversary of the
founding of the United Nations and also the 60th anniversary of Sri
Lanka’s entry into the UN system.
For 60 years of its 70-year existence, Sri Lanka and the UN have been
engaged in a mutually beneficial and reinforcing partnership
contributing to the growth and evolution of each other.
This strong partnership is an affirmation of the common values and
the shared vision that unite Sri Lanka and the United Nations System in
supporting not only the people of Sri Lanka but also those around the
world.
Since independence in 1947, Sri Lanka has contributed to the UN
system in multiple ways including its norm setting process. Sri Lanka
has produced important UN professionals, including three Under-Secretary
Generals and a Vice President of the International Court of Justice, to
name a few.
These and other high level officials have played a vital role in
international development by influencing global policy and
thought-leadership in diverse areas, ranging from the law of the sea to
disarmament, children in armed conflict and climate change.
Thousands of Sri Lankan citizens have contributed, and continue to
provide their noble services, to UN peacekeeping efforts around the
world. At present, over 1,000 troops are deployed to important missions
in Haiti, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.
Many of the development priorities for Sri Lanka are well reflected
in the SDGs, for example, focus on environmental issues together with
specific goals on inclusivity, women’s empowerment, peace and good
governance.
Sri Lankan policies adopted by successive Sri Lankan governments over
the years have also served as a catalyst in promoting human development
in many parts of the world.
I recall the year 1987 being declared by the UN as the International
Year of Shelter for the Homeless, recognizing Sri Lanka’s housing
programme at the time.
Significantly, Sri Lankan welfare policies relating to free education
and free health services have influenced global policy making over the
past 60 years. Such policies continue to leave a marked impression in
the international development sphere, especially in light of Sri Lanka’s
achievements towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
For much of its contemporary history, Sri Lanka has been confronted
with a plethora of challenges stemming from armed rebellions both in the
North and the South, recurrent natural disasters and a deadly Tsunami of
2004, challenges associated with its progression towards higher levels
of socio-economic development and integration to the globalised world.
Sri Lanka has shown remarkable resilience in facing these challenges
and the United Nations is proud to have walked together with Sri Lanka
in overcoming them.
Over the past years, the different UN agencies working on the ground
have assisted Sri Lanka to deal with massive levels of human
displacement induced both by man-made and natural disasters.
Our assistance has been at all levels of the displacement cycle from
providing immediate humanitarian relief to recovery and long term
rehabilitation of displaced persons. A special focus was also placed on
restoring livelihoods and community and economic infrastructure in
war-torn regions.
UN agencies have worked across different sectors to support Sri Lanka
advance towards the high level of human development that it currently
sees today.
We have focused on reducing income poverty across regions and
sectors, ensuring food security, addressing high levels of malnutrition
and minimizing regional and gender disparities in educational and health
attainments.
As an island nation and being in a region prone to natural disasters,
the UN agencies have also assisted Sri Lanka address the issue of
climate change and build resilience to the threat of natural disasters.
The latest MDG Country Report, jointly launched by the UN and the
Government of Sri Lanka this year, demonstrates how well Sri Lanka has
progressed in achieving the seven out of the eight relevant development
goals that were agreed by the world leaders five years ago.
With few setbacks in reducing malnutrition and ensuring environmental
sustainability, Sri Lanka has achieved or is on track to achieve all
other goals relating to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,
achieving universal primary education, gender equality and empowerment,
reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS,
malaria and other diseases.
In September this year, the global community will agree on a new
development agenda to guide and inform much of its work post-2015.Â
Subject to the outcome of the inter-governmental negotiations, a new set
of development goals i.e. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will
replace the MDGs, whilst carrying on the focus areas of the MDGs,
bringing in a greater emphasis on other areas.
Many of the development priorities for Sri Lanka are well reflected
in the SDGs for example, focus on environmental issues together with
specific goals on inclusivity, women’s empowerment, peace and good
governance. The Secretary-General believes strongly that we have the
opportunity to build on this existing foundation to further strengthen
the partnership between Sri Lanka and the United Nations.
Needless to say that in this journey of 60 years, the benefits have
not been one-sided: the United Nations system too has gained immensely
from this partnership.
This complementarity between the local and the global is indeed a
renewed moment in our relationship with Sri Lanka with opportunities for
greater collaboration and strengthened partnerships. I have no doubt
that our ties will emerge even stronger in the years to come.
Before I conclude, let me quote the opening preamble of the UN
Charter: “We the people of the United Nations.” This clearly shows that
people are at the heart of the United Nations, and I must note that Sri
Lankan people, in particular, are and have been at the centre of the 60
year SL-UN partnership that we celebrate this year.
To recognize and acknowledge the Sri Lankan people who have
contributed to the system nationally, regionally, and globally, the UN
in Sri Lanka, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is
delivering a year-long trilingual outreach campaign: ‘Our UN. Apey UN.
Engal UN’.Through this campaign, we reflect and celebrate our
long-standing and mutually-beneficial 60 year journey with Sri Lanka and
its people, affirming our commitment to a continued partnership.
- IPS
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