Commonwealth Day celebrations in Colombo

Uditha Kumarasinghe

COLOMBO: The Youth Affairs Ministry has made arrangements to commemorate the Commonwealth Day which falls in March 12 with the participation of youth representatives from eight countries in the Asian region.

This year Sri Lanka will be the host country of the Commonwealth Day celebrations scheduled to be held in Colombo in March 12. The Youth Affairs Ministry will coordinate and organise all the activities of the celebrations, Youth Affairs Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi told the Daily News yesterday.

Eight countries in the Asian region India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Sri Lanka will participate in the Commonwealth Day celebrations to be held in Colombo.

Nearly 60 youth representatives will attend the celebrations representing these eight countries, she said. "Respecting differences, promoting understanding" is the theme of this year's Commonwealth Day which falls on March 12. The Commonwealth Day has also given priority to promote various activities among youth in the region as one third of the world's young people live in the Commonwealth."

According to the Minister, the Ministry has organised an exhibition and a series of cultural shows at the National Youth Centre, Maharagama from March 13 to 15 to enable youth who participate in Commonwealth Day celebrations to display their creative talents.

The Ministry has also organised a field tour based on Kandy for the local and foreign youth representatives participating in the event.

The Commonwealth Day is celebrated on the second Monday in March every year. The aim of commemorating Commonwealth Day is to promote understanding on global issues, international cooperation and the work of the Commonwealth to improve the lives of its two billion citizens.

Within the Commonwealth Community, there are 53 nations, some two billion people, and a great diversity of cultures, voices and opinions. Thirty two of these member countries are small states in which the population numbers less than 1.5 million.