Lanka must play active role at Mexico conference

The government should actively participate in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change scheduled to be held in Mexico on November 29, the Green Movement of Sri Lanka (GMSL) Chairman Suranjan Kodithuwakku said.

He was addressing a media briefing at the National Library yesterday. GMSL is an environment related non-governmental organization.

Many natural disasters such as floods and landslides are taking place due to climate change. This situation is not familiar to Sri Lanka, he said. The government incurred a huge loss due to floods in Colombo in the last couple of weeks.

Kodithuwakku said Bangladesh and the Maldives took the initiative to consider the United Nation Conference on Climate Change held last year as an ideal platform to bring up their issues and negotiate for funds.

The Sri Lankan team could also seek opportunities to find solutions at this year's conference, he said.

"If the Sri Lankan team plays a good role at the conference, they would be able to persuade UN to allocate substantial funds for us," he said. Sri Lanka needs funds and technical assistance to rebuild the country after natural disasters, Kodithuwakku said.