The high-level segment of the Conference on Disarmament commenced in Geneva on 23 February 2026 under the presidency of the Ambassador Omar Zniber of Morocco and will continue till 25 February 2026.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath addressing the Conference via a video message on the first day of the high-level segment, highlighted the importance of a robust multilateral system to overcome the prevailing challenges in the current global landscape to ensure enduring global peace and security to secure a stable world for present as well as future generations.
Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake, Sri Lanka’s newly appointed envoy to the United Nations in Geneva met Ambassador Omar Zniber of Morocco, the current President to the Conference on Disarmament on 19 February 2026 and presented his Credentials as Sri Lanka’s new Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament.
Conference on Disarmament – 27 January 2026
Statement by Her Excellency Himalee Arunatilaka, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva
Madam President,
Madam Secretary-General
Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues
It is with deep honour, respect and gratitude that I take the floor today for the last time in my capacity as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva, and to the Conference on Disarmament. I will be concluding my tenure and returning to Sri Lanka in a few days on the conclusion of my tenure in Geneva.
Madam President , Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour to present Sri Lanka’s progress under Article 5 – Clearing Mined Areas, at the Twenty-Second Meeting of States Parties.
Madam President, Distinguished Delegates, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Sri Lanka is honoured to present an update on our progress in fulfilling the Victim Assistance commitments under Actions 30 to 39 of the Siem Reap–Angkor Action Plan.
Mr. President
Distinguished Delegates
Sri Lanka extends its warm congratulations to Ambassador Carlos D. Sorreta, Permanent Representative of the Philippines for assuming the Presidency of the Thirteenth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. My delegation assures you Sri Lanka’s fullest support in achieving a productive and meaningful outcome of this meeting.
Mr. President,
Sri Lanka remains convinced that this Convention represents a significant achievement in international humanitarian law as well as in the global disarmament landscape due to its comprehensive approach in mitigating the humanitarian impact of cluster munitions in all aspects. Our presence here today reaffirms our enduring commitment towards a world free from the devastating impact of cluster munitions. We recall that the Convention on Cluster Munitions has protected countless civilian lives from indiscriminate and widespread harm caused by cluster munitions, since its entry into force.
- Intervention by Sri Lanka at the Sixth Meeting of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), 11-22 August 2025, in Geneva
- 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 by Dr.Shiromi Maduwage, Consultant Community Physician at Youth, Elderly & Disability Unit, Ministry of Health, at the Intersessional Meeting of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, 17 June 2025