Introductory Remarks by Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Chairman of the Board of Management of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies: Lakshman Kadirgamar Memorial Lecture – 2016
It is indeed a great pleasure to welcome a very special guest, Hon. Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway to the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies today to deliver the annual Lakshman Kadirgamar memorial lecture, on the very day Sri Lanka lost one of its finest sons to a sniper’s bullet 11 years ago.
Lakshman Kadirgamar dreamt of a prosperous and peaceful Sri Lanka, united in its diversity and he sacrificed his life in search of durable peace.
Today, the Government of President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe has recommenced the task of winning the peace, restoring democracy and securing the bright and prosperous future all Sri Lankans deserve. The foundation of a new Sri Lanka has been laid on the three pillars of democratization, reconciliation and development.
In this short period of time, since coming into office the government has restored Sri Lanka’s democratic credentials and taken significant steps in the area of reconciliation. It was only yesterday, that the Parliament approved the first of our transitional justice mechanisms, the Office of the Missing Persons. With the passage of this bill, Sri Lanka is now ready to commence the healing process of our wounded and fractured nation, coming to terms with the tragedies of our recent past so that we could harness the potential of our nation and its people, to pave the way for a bright and prosperous future our country truly deserves;
Madam Prime Minister,
It is in this background of hope and optimism, we receive you here today to listen to your speech on “Sustainable Development Goals: Working together for our Common Good”.
This is the topic that not only defines the global sustainable agenda until 2030, but also the topic which is of paramount importance for us here in Sri Lanka, as we strive towards rapid economic and social development.
Let me also thank you Madam Prime Minister, for agreeing to sacrifice two days of your vacation in Sri Lanka to accommodate our official programme and to deliver the Lakshman Kadirgamar oration this year.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Prime Minister Solberg is also the Co-Chair for the Sustainable Development Goals Advocacy Group appointed by United National Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Prime Minister Solberg also convened the Commission on Financing Global Education. The inaugural meeting of the Commission will be convened in September 2016 during the United Nations General Assembly and focused on the economic case to inspire and persuade the global leaders to action.
Prime Minister Solberg has also been a tireless Ambassador for the Sustainable Development Goals in the developing world with numerous trips to Asia, including Viet Nam and Indonesia, and to Africa, to countries like South Africa, Malawi and Rwanda. Sri Lanka too can benefit from your experiences.
As you may know Sri Lanka’s long history of continued investment in health, education and poverty alleviation programmes, has translated into the country being placed at the 73rd rank with a Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.757 in the UNDP’s Global Human Development Report (HDR) 2015. Sri Lanka integrated the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into its development programme early on.