Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath concluded his visit to Geneva where he addressed the 60th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on September 8, 2025, delivering the Government statement during the Interactive Dialogue on Sri Lanka.
Minister Herath reiterated Sri Lanka’s commitment to achieving reconciliation through domestic processes and outlining the measures already taken by the Government for transformation to advance the rights and well-being of all Sri Lankans.
The Foreign Minister further reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s opposition to externally imposed mechanisms.
The Minister also met the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk where the discussion focused around the cooperation and assistance that the UN can provide to the Government in taking forward the measures undertaken within the country to promote and protect human rights. In this regard the need to address all human rights, including the economic, social civil and political rights, of all Sri Lankans, was emphasized. Minister Herath provided further updates on issues referred to in his statement to the Council, reiterating the need for time and space for the Government to carry them through to completion.
High Commissioner Volker Türk expressed his deep appreciation for the opportunity to visit Sri Lanka and the facilitation provided by the Government and further underlined the historic opportunity the Government has to bring about lasting reconciliation in the country.
Minister Herath also met with the President of the Human Rights Council Ambassador Jürg Lauber of Switzerland, who welcomed the Minister’s visit as a symbol of high-level political engagement with the Council. Interacting with a large number of Ambassadors from like-minded countries who spoke in support of Sri Lanka during the Interactive Dialogue Minister Herath expressed Sri Lanka’s appreciation for their continued support and solidarity.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism
Colombo
14 September 2025
Addressing the 60th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, during the Interactive Dialogue (ID) on Sri Lanka on 08 September 2025, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath underlined the commitment and the political will of the Government for transformation in the country and to create a new political culture to advance the rights and well-being of all Sri Lankans. The Minister highlighted the progress made within a short period through the domestic processes towards building national unity and reconciliation while urging the Council to allow Sri Lanka time and space to achieve this objective.
43 countries spoke during the ID including Kuwait on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Cote d’Ivoire, the Philippines, Japan, Lao PDR, Thailand, Vanuatu, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Nepal, India, Zimbabwe, Viet Nam, China, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Türkiye, Belarus, Egypt, Venezuela, the Maldives, Cuba, South Sudan, the Sudan, the Russian Federation and Burundi.
Expressing solidarity with Sri Lanka, the above countries;
- Welcomed Sri Lanka’s continued engagement with the Human Right Council and the High Commissioner’s visit as a sign of the country’s enhanced cooperation with the Council;
- Acknowledged the significant developments and tangible progress, including ongoing legislative reforms in the country and encouraged the HRC and international community to support Sri Lanka in its nationally-owned processes;
- Questioned the allocation of resources to the external mechanism on Sri Lanka when vital mandates in the Council risk being unfulfilled due to resource constraints;
- Emphasized that externally imposed parallel processes risk polarization;
- Stated that imposition of country specific mechanisms on targeted countries undermines the Human Rights Council’s founding principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, and non-selectivity;
- Expressed concerns at the double standards, politicization and instrumentalization of human rights to interfere into the internal affairs of countries;
- Underlined the importance of constructive dialogue and cooperation within the Council to reach productive results in the promotion of human rights;
High Commissioner Volker Türk appreciated the opportunity, to visit Sri Lanka in June this year, and to have open exchanges across the political spectrum, religious leaders and communities.
Sri Lanka’s delegation to the 60th Human Rights Council in Geneva was led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath and comprised Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva Ambassador Himalee Arunatilaka, Director General/United Nations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dayani Mendis and the diplomatic officers of the Permanent Mission in Geneva.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism
Colombo
08 September 2025
Mr. President,
High Commissioner,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
I speak to you on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka at a time when my country has embarked on a historic journey towards transformational change. This journey is about democratic governance, human rights, inclusive economic growth and national unity.
Measures on International Cooperation and Assistance (ICA), 12 August 2025
Mr Chair,
As this the first time that my delegation is taking the floor, Sri Lanka joins others in expressing sincere gratitude to you, Mr. Chair, for your leadership of this Working Group on strengthening the BWC, one of the cornerstones of the global disarmament architecture. Please be assured of the fullest support and cooperation of Sri Lanka for the success of the deliberations at this session.
I also take this opportunity to thank the Friends of Chair groups, members of the ISU for their comprehensive work carried out so far in an inclusive approach.
Sri Lanka welcomes the rolling text and recognizes the value of its proposals while being mindful of the related financial implications.
Article X of the BWC is crucial for the Convention's implementation because it promotes international cooperation and the peaceful use of biological science. The peaceful use of biological science and technology holds immense potential for human advancement, from disease prevention to food security.
With regard to the Section A of the rolling text, we recognize that the promoting bio-security education and capacity building is critical for all States, particularly for developing and least developed countries which are yet to acquire the necessary resources, technologies, equipment, knowledge and capacities to face bio-security risks and global health challenges.
Therefore, improving the proposed measures and synchronizing their implementation together with ICA mechanism in a pragmatic way while understanding the specific needs for developing countries and ensuring equal access to developing and least developed countries will be vital in strengthening the Convention and its effective and universal implementation.
Towards this end, it is also important to identify complementarities and synergies of the activities by other relevant international and regional organizations with focus on bio-safety and bio-security for necessary collaboration while being mindful of avoiding duplication of the initiatives.
We wish to continue our engagement in discussing the relevant sections of the rolling text.
Thank you.
Measures on Compliance and Verification, 18 August 2025
Mr. Chair
My delegation wishes to thank you for presenting the proposed text on ‘Measures on Compliance and Verification’ under section D of the rolling text.
Sri Lanka supports negotiating a legally binding verification mechanism.
Absence of a robust verification mechanism, could lead to disparities in national compliance practices and national implementation process.
Sri Lanka also emphasizes that the verification mechanism should be applied to all States without any discrimination.
Therefore, Sri Lanka underlines the urgency and importance of negotiating a legally binding verification regime.
Sri Lanka is annually submitting its Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) and values the Transparency and Confidence Building Measures, which could be complementary to the future verification mechanism. However, Sri Lanka emphasizes that the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) should not substitute a robust legally binding verification mechanism under the BWC.
Thank you
Measures on National Implementation of the Convention, 20 August 2025
Mr. Chair,
First of all, my delegation would like to thank you for presenting the proposed measures for national implementation under section E of the rolling text and also to the Friends of Chair for their comprehensive work.
Sri Lanka also wishes to thank the ISU for all the efforts in encouraging and facilitating national implementation through workshops for national focal points, training, sponsorships, technical assistance, and creating e-CBM Platform etc.
Mr. Chair,
National implementation remains a cornerstone of the Convention in its real-world operation across different continents. Biological agents and toxins have no boundaries, and they affect all countries regardless of their capacities to respond. Therefore, Sri Lanka perceives national implementation as a priority, particularly for developing countries which are vulnerable to biological threats, accidents, risks and global health challenges. Translating the BWC commitments into effective domestic laws and regulations in developing and least developed countries directly strengthens their public health systems, and their preparedness to respond to public health emergencies.
While noting that the BWC has near-universal adherence and most member states are from the Global South, facilitating developing and least developed countries for robust national implementation warrants more attention and assistance through the work of this Convention according to its mandate.
In this direction, my delegation believes that para 32 to 36 should capture the exact obligation under Article IV of the Convention “to take necessary measures to prohibit and prevent the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition or retention of the agents, toxins, weapons, equipment” as specified in the Article IV. Further it is important to capture the obligation under Article X to correctly reflect the broader aspects of peaceful uses of biological agents and toxins and international cooperation and assistance.
My delegation supports the establishment of national focal points in para 33 which is currently in effect and also the providing necessary resources to ISU to support national implementation efforts in para 36.
Mr. Chair,
National implementation is a primary way that developing countries can uphold their commitments under the BWC. However, the developing and least developed countries are facing significant challenges in national implementation due to limited resources and lack of technical expertise.
In the current context, digitalization, collecting data, establishment of efficient laboratory networks, storage of data, linking with different national authorities and establishing legal frameworks are important and remain as challenges to most of the developing states. Therefore, supporting the national implementation of the BWC by the ISU mentioned in para 36 should also capture diversified and concrete methods to assist States while understanding the challenges of the developing countries.
Let me also highlight a few ongoing initiatives by Sri Lanka in its national implementation to understand the importance of collaboration between developed and developing countries as well as with the ISU.
The National Inventory of Dangerous Pathogens (NIDP) which is a key step of national implementation in Sri Lanka was developed in 2022 with the technical and consultancy support extended by UNODA and the National Institute for Public Health and Environment (RIVM) of the Netherlands and with financial support of the European Union (EU). Plans are underway to expand the National Inventory of Dangerous Pathogens (NIDP) into laboratories across all sectors and across the island.
As part of strengthening the domestic legal framework, the National Policy on Biosafety and Biosecurity has been finalized and awaiting approval by the Cabinet of Ministers. The Disaster Preparedness and Response Unit of the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka has also proposed to establish a National Secretariat for BWC in the future.
Mr. Chair,
It is obvious that Cooperation and Assistance with the UN and other International Organizations and Member States significantly enhance the process of national implementation of the BWC, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, we encourage strengthening networks and partnerships with developing and least developed countries to realize the objectives of the Convention at regional levels which could ultimately contribute to the universal implementation of the Convention.
My delegation also believes that establishment of the International Cooperation and Assistance (ICA) mechanism and Science and Technology (S & T) Review Mechanism are vital to strengthen national implementation efforts under the Convention.
Thank you.
Measures on Science and Technological development related to the Convention,21 August 2025
Mr. Chair
Sri Lanka wishes to share a few general comments on the measures on science and technological development related to the Convention based on the text that you have shared with us today.
- Sri Lanka supports the fact that the members of the Science and Technology Reporting Committee are serving in their individual capacity and the Committee considers gender and geographical balance. We believe that the Committee should operate in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner in a balanced approach. It is also important to ensure the sustainability of the operation of the Committee.
- In this direction, necessary flexibility may be required in striking the balance between numbers against balancing several criteria like geographical distribution, gender, level of expertise and qualification etc.
- Sri Lanka believes that a clear pre-defined selection criteria for experts is required to avoid any conflict of interest and the experts should be free from influence of the nominating government.
- As my delegation also highlighted before, Sri Lanka is of the view that the voice of the developing countries needs to be heard adequately by the Committee even if these countries are not in a position to nominate experts in the relevant fields.
- Given the rapid development in science and technology, we perceive the importance of nominating experts from diversified fields in a multidisciplinary approach.
Thank you
Minister of Environment, Hon. Dr. Dammika Patabendi interacted at the Informal Ministerial Roundtable on 'challenges at national level to address plastic pollution' on 12 August 2025, held during the second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC 5.2) which is being held from 05-14 August 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Distinguished Co-Chairs, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Sri Lanka extends its sincere appreciation to the Government of Switzerland for hosting this important meeting, and to the INC Secretariat for their tireless efforts and continued dedication towards the development of an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
Sri Lanka is fully committed to addressing plastic pollution and has taken several proactive measures over the years. Among these, we have imposed restrictions on selected single-use plastic items, including plastic food containers, plates, cups, and cutlery. These measures reflect our national commitment to reduce the environmental footprint of plastic waste.
We are currently amended the National Environmental Act to further strengthen our regulatory framework. One of the key features of this amendment is the formal integration of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which we believe is critical for ensuring sustainable production and consumption patterns.
Sri Lanka has also developed robust policy frameworks, including the National Policy on Waste Management and the National Policy on Chemical Management. These provide the foundation for a comprehensive approach to managing plastic and hazardous Chemicals across sectors.
A significant milestone was the launch of the National Action Plan on Plastic Waste Management 2021–2030, which sets out a clear and structured roadmap for tackling plastic waste based on 3R concept. In parallel, a nationwide awareness campaign on plastic pollution has been implemented with the support of international development partners, focusing on behavioral change and public engagement.
The engagement of informal waste collectors who form a critical link in the recycling chain continues to be one of Sri Lanka’s key strengths in advancing circularity in plastic management
Challenges at national level to address plastic pollution.
Even though, Sri Lanka has taken proactive measures over the year, we face several challenges that require international attention and collaboration.
First, we urge global standards to ensure that children’s products such as infant feeding bottles and slippy cups are free from hazardous chemicals, including phthalates and BPA. Transparency in the chemical content of plastic products is essential for both health and environmental protection.
Second, with regard to Article 7 on release and leakage, we strongly advocate for mandatory global packaging standards that prevent plastic leaching into marine ecosystems. The MV X-Press Pearl disaster, which released over 12,000 metric tons of plastic pellets into our coastal waters, remains a devastating example of the irreversible consequences of plastic leakage.
We also face technical, social, and economic barriers to implementation such as limited infrastructure for advanced recycling, lack of behavioral change at the community level, and financial constraints for innovation in biodegradable alternatives.
To overcome these, Sri Lanka calls for enhanced global cooperation to:
- Strengthen the science-policy interface;
- Support public awareness campaigns;
- Facilitate technical exchange programs, and policy development.
Plastic pollution is a global crisis. Let us act now together with urgency, clarity, and equity.
Excellencies, we believe that the legally binding instrument under negotiation must incorporate a comprehensive approach across the full lifecycle of plastics and provide enabling mechanisms for implementation, particularly for developing countries.
Sri Lanka stands ready to work constructively with all partners to achieve a global agreement that is ambitious, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable.
Thank you.
6 August 2025 — The Government of Sri Lanka has formally deposited its instrument of acceptance of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, becoming one of the latest WTO members to take this important step towards protecting global marine resources. With this ratification, only four more acceptances are needed for the Agreement to enter into force.
This ratification reflects Sri Lanka’s steadfast commitment to sustainable ocean governance and responsible fisheries management, consistent with national policies articulated under the “Thriving Nation and a Beautiful Life” framework. The Agreement prohibits subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and to the exploitation of overfished stocks — both critical concerns for coastal and island nations such as Sri Lanka.
Fisheries remain a cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s food security, export economy, and coastal livelihoods. By aligning national legislation, with global disciplines, Sri Lanka is strengthening its capacity to sustainably manage marine resources while enhancing its credibility in key international markets.
This step also supports Sri Lanka’s broader blue economy agenda and builds on recent international commitments, including signing into the UN Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). The ratification enables Sri Lanka to access technical and financial assistance through the WTO Fisheries Fund, which supports developing countries in implementing sustainable fisheries practices.
The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, adopted by consensus at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference in 2022, is the first WTO agreement with an explicit environmental sustainability focus. It is also a significant contribution toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 14.6, which calls for the elimination of harmful fisheries subsidies.
Sri Lanka’s ratification underscores its leadership in global ocean stewardship and its readiness to engage in cooperative efforts to ensure the sustainability of marine ecosystems for current and future generations.
Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
to the World Trade Organization in Geneva
07 August 2025
General Debate on
A world in turmoil: Parliamentary cooperation and multilateralism for peace, justice and prosperity for all
Dr. Tulia Ackson, President of the IPU,
Distinguished Speakers of Parliament,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is both a privilege and a responsibility to address this Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament at a time when the world is experiencing deep and widespread turmoil. On behalf of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, I extend my sincere appreciation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations for convening this essential dialogue under this timely theme.
In this era marked by conflict, political instability, climate anxiety and economic hardship, the human family faces unprecedented uncertainty. In such a world, the role of Parliaments is more critical than ever before. We serve not only as lawmakers but also as guardians of democratic legitimacy, as advocates for justice, and as instruments of peacebuilding and accountability.
Parliamentary diplomacy and multilateral cooperation are vital tools for rebuilding global trust. Through our bilateral and multilateral engagements, which include Parliamentary friendship groups, Parliamentary networks, study visits and delegations, we have the ability to foster understanding, mediate conflict and advance shared human values. These platforms allow Parliaments to learn from one another, strengthen democratic practices, and collectively address cross-border challenges such as terrorism, pandemics, migration and cyber threats.
Parliament of Sri Lanka has long embraced this spirit of cooperation. We have been a proud member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union since 1949 and of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association since our independence in 1948. We are also a founding member of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians. These partnerships have allowed our Parliamentarians and staff to gain valuable experience and build institutional capacity through training, dialogue and exchange.
Notably, Sri Lanka has hosted several seminars and conferences in collaboration with IPU and CPA, underscoring our commitment to multilateral Parliamentary engagement. With friendship associations established with over 50 countries, the Parliament of Sri Lanka continues to expand its role in regional and global diplomacy. We also actively promote Parliamentary cooperation through international youth exchange and professional development programmes, helping to build the next generation of democratic leaders.
Excellencies,
Parliamentary cooperation is not symbolic, it is strategic. When we act together, we reinforce the foundations of peace, prosperity and justice. Our cooperation strengthens the legitimacy of international norms, amplifies the voices of our citizens and bridges the divides among nations, communities and cultures.
We in Sri Lanka have seen how dialogue and reconciliation, even after a prolonged conflict, can guide a nation forward. Our Parliament is committed to advancing inclusive governance, constitutional reform and peacebuilding through democratic channels.
As we mark the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, established by the UN General Assembly, we reaffirm that Parliaments have a decisive role in turning global ambitions into national action. It is our duty to bring the people's voice into international policymaking and to translate international commitments into meaningful local realities.
Madame President,
Let us leave this Conference not only with new perspectives, but with renewed purpose. The world may be in turmoil, but through Parliamentary cooperation and multilateral solidarity, we can help restore stability, justice and dignity for all.
Thank you.
- Sri Lanka and Switzerland hold the Third Meeting of Experts on the Migration Partnership between the two countries
- Statement by Sri Lanka at the second session of the open-ended working group on the prevention of an arms race in outer space in all its aspects, 21-25 July 2025
- Statement of Sri Lanka at the Opening of the 66th Series of Meetings of the WIPO Assemblies, from July 8-17, 2025