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.
Following the presentation of Credentials, Ambassador Dassanayake addressed the Conference on Disarmament, marking his first engagement as Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva.
In his address to the Conference on Disarmament, Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s unwavering commitment to global peace and security. Ambassador Dassanayake also emphasized the importance of inclusive dialogue, trust, mutual respect, and transparency as important tools of multilateral diplomacy, particularly at a time of increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.
Recalling Sri Lanka’s active role in the establishment of the Conference on Disarmament at the First Special Session on Disarmament (SSOD-1) in 1978, Ambassador Dassanayake highlighted Sri Lanka’s commitment in advocating for global nuclear disarmament, the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones and prevention of an arms race in outer space. The Ambassador also expressed hope for a collective solution to break the current deadlock in the Conference and to resume its substantive work without further delay.
Ambassador Dassanayake assured Sri Lanka’s constructive role in realizing the shared vision for enduring global peace through renewed commitments to the work of the Conference on Disarmament, during his tenure.
The Conference on Disarmament was recognized by the Tenth Special Session on Disarmament of the United Nations General Assembly (SSOD-I) in 1978 as a single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community. The Conference comprises 65 member States, including the five nuclear-weapon states. Sri Lanka became a member of the Conference on Disarmament in 1978.
The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva
19 February 2026