Kohona appointed Co Chair of UN Working Group

Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Ambassador Dr Palitha Kohona has been appointed Co Chairperson of the UN Working Group to study issues relating the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Marine Biological Diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction by the President of the UN General Assembly.

The other Co Chair is Dr. Liesdeth Lijnzaad, Legal Advisor of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Netherlands.

The appointment is for the Third Meeting of the UN Working Group, which will take place in 2010.

The UN Working Group to study issues relating to the Conservation and Sustainable Use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction was established by the Secretary-General of the United Nations following the adoption of the UN Resolution on Oceans and the Law of the Sea.

The Working Group is mandated to study and provide recommendations to the UN General Assembly on issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity around the world.