Vijitha to Address UN General Assembly On 28 Sept.
Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath has confirmed that he will travel to New York on September 26 to participate in the United Nations General Assembly, where he is scheduled to address the Assembly on behalf of Sri Lanka on September 28. Explaining the Government's representation at ongoing United Nations forums, Minister Herath said Sri Lanka's position at the current session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva has already been presented by the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake. The Minister noted that he has personally participated in the Geneva Human Rights Council process on two previous occasions and had presented the Government's views on behalf of Sri Lanka. He explained that the current process involves the presentation of a written report on Sri Lanka by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, following which member states are given a limited opportunity to respond. According to Minister Herath, Sri Lanka is allocated five minutes to present its observations on the report, and that responsibility has already been undertaken by Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake, who has presented the Government's position in Geneva. The Minister said that statement will also be made available to the Sri Lankan public. Addressing concerns over his absence from the Geneva session, Minister Herath stressed that there is no country-specific debate on Sri Lanka during the current Human Rights Council session. Instead, he noted that the Council is conducting a broader general debate, during which all countries are provided a brief opportunity to make interventions. He pointed out that the discussion is not focused exclusively on Sri Lanka but covers a wide range of global issues, including human rights violations in different parts of the world and broader international political developments. Given those circumstances, he said his participation as Minister was not essential, as Sri Lanka's official position could be effectively conveyed by the country's Permanent Representative in Geneva. However, Minister Herath confirmed that he will represent Sri Lanka at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York. He is scheduled to depart on September 26 and address the General Assembly on behalf of Sri Lanka on September 28. The Minister noted that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake attended the previous session as Head of State. He said that, this year, he will participate in his capacity as Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs, representing the country at one of the world's most significant diplomatic forums.
