Collaborative efforts for peace and development
Speech delivered by Foreign Minister Rohitha
Bogollagama at the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting of XV NAM Summit in
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, from July 13 and 14 at the Interactive Debate on
“International Solidarity for Peace and Development”.
Egypt, has traditionally been a friend of the developing world. It
has given leadership to a number of regional and global processes
contributing to the strengthening of international peace and
development. As Egypt takes over the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned
Movement now, let me reaffirm Sri Lanka’s solidarity and support for
your efforts at taking forward the agenda of the Non-Aligned Movement
for the next three years.
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Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.
ANCL file photo |
Both as a longstanding member of the Non-Aligned Movement as well as
one of its former chairs, we take pride in being present in this City of
Peace, Sharm El Sheikh, at this defining moment in the history of the
Movement.
I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Srimavo Bandaranaike,
the former Sri Lankan Prime Minister - and the world’s first woman Prime
Minister- who entrenched the principle of Non-Alignment in Sri Lanka’s
Foreign Policy. Her role and contribution in the world of non-alignment
not only brought nations and peoples closer to Sri Lanka, but also
brought glory and fame to my country worldwide.
This policy, today, continues to be upheld by President Mahinda
Rajapaksa, who has given it a practical scope and depth in his
engagement with the outside world.
Currently, the Chair of the South Asian Regional Cooperation (SAARC),
which is committed to advancing solidarity and cooperation for the
benefit of peoples Sri Lanka seeks fruitful deliberations on the future
agenda of our Movement in the promotion of South-South Cooperation.
Sri Lanka will soon be taking over the Chair of ACD (Asian
Cooperation Dialogue) which it hopes will be strengthened further to
help achieve practical and meaningful cooperation on potential areas of
mutual benefit.
This first decade of the 21st Century has seen many challenges. The
world has confronted a number of environmental hazards with increased
frequency, in addition to food crisis, energy crisis and now the
economic and financial crisis.
These crises have affected the developing countries and their
populations severely. Armed conflicts and terrorism also pose greater
threat to peace and stability of States.
Global challenges require collective responses. It is time therefore
that we strove hard together to find solutions to these problems. Such
collaborative efforts on the part of all States could effectively
contribute to international solidarity for peace and development.
As was witnessed in several regions recently, terrorism continues to
remain a major threat to the security of our nations and peoples. In the
modern civilized world, there is absolutely no room for expression of
dissent through terrorism. Our Movement should reiterate this message in
unequivocal terms. It is important that we also demand of the
international community to shed double standards in fighting terrorism.
The focus should now be on concerted action to combat terrorism wherever
it occurs.
One of the oldest democracies in Asia, Sri Lanka had long been tested
by terrorism. For over 30 years the terrorists had sought to destroy our
multicultural and multi-religious heritage and our co-existence in the
spirit of one nation.
However, the Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa steadfastly
confronted this scourge. Under his leadership, our heroic Security
Forces were able to rout one of the world’s deadliest terrorist groups,
LTTE, and rescue civilians and secure fully the North and East of Sri
Lanka. Through his single-minded commitment, vision and perseverance,
President Rajapaksa helped to unify the country, further strengthening
its territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty, and the
liberties of the people.
Sri Lanka’s democracy is both vibrant and resilient. It has the
potential and the capacity to overcome all challenges with the support
of the people. Now that we have successfully accomplished our campaign
against terrorism in the North, the Government has already arranged to
hold elections to the Municipal Council of Jaffna and the Urban Council
of Vavuniya in August 2009. The people in those areas will exercise the
right to elect their own representatives in a peaceful manner.
As with several other countries within NAM, which are on the
forefront of a concerted global campaign against terrorism, Sri Lanka
too believes that “no entity postulating or practising terrorism can or
should be allowed to claim to represent any community, ethnic or
religious interes
ts”.
No country is better able to eliminate terrorism effectively on its
own. Efforts at combating terrorism therefore require the active
collaboration of all States if they were to achieve success.
Today, the economic and financial crisis appears to be engulfing all
the regions, pushing more than one billion people below the poverty
line. The G - 20 addressed this crisis only recently and agreed on a
package to tide over this problem in the short to medium term. However,
the initiative lacked a comprehensive approach, which took account of
the specific challenges faced by developing countries.
In June 2009, the UN General Assembly convened a High Level Meeting
in New York to address this challenge in a more holistic manner.
A wide-ranging “Outcome Document” containing recommendations to fight
the global recession and follow-up processes that may open the doors to
promoting deeper reforms of the global financial and economic
architecture, has resulted. Sri Lanka supports the Outcome Document and
calls for its expeditious implementation.
The reforming of international financial institutions is necessary to
render them more effective in providing timely assistance to countries
in need. International institutions should be proactive in providing
necessary assistance to ensure that development aid and financial aid
flow into developing countries, for development projects to continue
unhindered, and for the economies to withstand external macroeconomic
shocks.
It is important that the Non-Aligned Movement and the developing
countries should continue to emphasize the need to modernize the global
financial institutions in such a way that it would enhance the
perspective, voice and participation of developing countries.
Inclusive consultations on further reforms to improve the
responsiveness of the World Bank, as called for in the Outcome Document,
should follow without further delay.
The food crisis was historic in its size and in the scope of its
challenges. A practical solution to this crisis calls for a
multi-faceted approach. On the one hand, the industrialized countries
need to be prevailed upon to scale down their dependence on bio-fuel and
also to review some of their agricultural policies including on
subsidies.
On the other, measures need also to be taken to improve agricultural
productivity through increased access to education, agricultural
training, pre-harvest and post-harvest techniques, and sharing of
advanced technology. Smart solutions to this problem require the
creation of a virtuous cycle of enhanced child health, improved food
production, higher incomes and better quality of life for women and
their entire families.
The Non-Aligned Movement needs to ensure that the international
processes designed to address this challenge yield an acceptable outcome
for the affected populations.
Migration of workers across international boundaries in search of
economic opportunity has enormous implications for growth and welfare in
both origin and destination countries. The effects of migration on
individuals, societies and countries are profound and multi-faceted.
Many of these effects are directly or indirectly linked to development
processes.
It is common concern that restrictive policies and practices adopted
by most industrialized countries have a negative impact on international
migration. Such policies seek to deny developing countries an
opportunity of deriving development benefits for economic advancement.
A greater focus on the complexity of the relationship between
migration and development is therefore warranted. The interest today is,
most significantly, on how migration can be a positive force for
development. As with other countries in the Non-Aligned Movement, Sri
Lanka prefers a development approach to international migration.
It has become established that the current outline for a
Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement has been a two-state solution. It is
important that countries in the region show flexibility and maturity in
striving for a solution, which could usher in lasting peace for all the
people in the Middle East, a secure state for the Palestinians, and
security and greater acceptance for Israel within the Middle East and
beyond.
Sri Lanka supports all efforts for achieving a comprehensive peace in
the region. It is time that Palestinians were afforded the long-awaited
opportunity to enjoy peace and harmony, which has eluded them for so
long. I wish to thank you for your leadership of this important meeting.
As your country takes over the chairmanship of the Movement from
Cuba, it is our fervent expectation that you would build on the momentum
and exemplary leadership provided by Cuba and chart the future of this
Movement in the years ahead.
On behalf of Sri Lanka, let me take this occasion to thank Cuba and
its leader Raoul Castro for their effective stewardship, strengthening a
sense of solidarity and consensus within its membership. It is our
collective hope that under the chairmanship of President Hosny Mubarak,
the Movement will receive further impetus and continue to march forward.
As I conclude, let me reaffirm my belief that, with you in the chair,
this meeting will be able to accomplish its agenda effectively, for the
leaders of our Movement to take decisions on important regional and
global concerns when the 15th Summit convenes shortly in this City of
Peace.
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