Universal peace and justice- Justice Weeramantry

by Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI

As we have ended armed conflict in the country we have a unique opportunity to set an example to the world helping to build peace not only in Sri Lanka but internationally, not only for ourselves but for generations yet to come, not only through banishing conflicts but through enthroning justice, said former Vice President, International Court of Justice, C. G. Weeramantry at the UN Day celebrations organised by the United Nations Association Sri Lanka at Royal College Colombo on October 24.

Addressing the students assembled he said that the UN and its Charter shows the way to do it and we should give all the support respecting the UN, International Court of Justice and International Law and that way alone we can save humanity and the planet from destruction.

Justice Weeramantry said that we should realize its importance from the school level upwards and have peace education in schools to teach children with what difficulty the United Nations was achieved.

The Peace Education Centre is formulating ways and means of carrying this knowledge to people, everyone can do something in this direction and spread an awareness of the history of peace its philosophers, and ingredients.

Sri Lanka is in a unique position to give leadership in this regard, as it has one of the most ancient traditions of international relations with ambassadors in the Courts of Rome and China and monastic universities which trained thousands of students from the Middle East to China over 2000 years ago.

UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Neil Buhne said that the UN team in Sri Lanka has united to make not just the world but more specially Sri Lanka a safer and better place.

The last 12 months in Sri Lanka have seen historic changes and the UN team has always been on helping people, in support of Government efforts, where there was a need.

He said that the UN was created to help countries and people rebuild after war and the challenges facing Sri Lanka today after the victory in May are much smaller in scale than those faced in 1945 but some are similar in nature such as rebuilding lives affected after war and rebuilding confidence.

In meeting these challenges Sri Lanka has the advantages it has created itself, despite the years of conflict, of a well educated healthy people and internationally competitive firms and world class things that unite it - among a superb cricket team, he said.