I am honoured to represent Sri Lanka at this gathering today. I would first like to congratulate Mr. Abdulla Shahid on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session. He has long been a friend of Sri Lanka, and we look forward to working closely with him in the year ahead. I would also like to take this opportunity to convey our appreciation for Mr. Volkan Bozkir’s stewardship of the General Assembly during the previous session and to commend Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his leadership in these difficult times.
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a devastating impact on humankind. I sympathize deeply with all who have lost their loved ones during the pandemic. I thank front-line health-care and essential workers around the world for their dedication and commend the World Health Organization (WHO) for its crisis response. I also greatly appreciate the rapid advances made by the scientific and medical communities in devising vaccines and treatment protocols to combat the virus. At the same time, we must recognize that it is urgent that we overcome the challenges surrounding the production, distribution, deployment and acceptance of vaccines if we are to prevent the spread of dangerous new virus strains. Ensuring that everyone, everywhere, is vaccinated is the best way out of the pandemic.
Although still a developing nation, Sri Lanka has been very successful with its vaccination programme. We have already fully vaccinated nearly all those above the age of 30. Everyone over the age of 20 will be fully vaccinated by the end of October, and we will start vaccinating children over 15 years of age in the near future. The rapid progress of vaccinations was enabled
by coordinated efforts between health-care workers, armed-forces and police personnel, Government servants and elected officials. In collaboration with the WHO, Sri Lanka is establishing a regional knowledge hub to facilitate the exchange of lessons learned from COVID-19 and to support countries in recovering better. Sri Lanka also benefited greatly from financial and material support provided by bilateral and multilateral donors in order to manage the pandemic. I thank those nations and institutions for their generosity. The increased global cooperation that we have seen during this ongoing crisis is very encouraging. However, there is still more to be done.
The economic impact of the pandemic has been especially severe for developing countries. That has placed the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals at considerable risk. It will be vital to ensure that more initiatives that include development financing and debt relief are undertaken through international mechanisms so as to support developing nations and help them emerge from this uncertain situation.
Sri Lanka too has suffered greatly due to the pandemic. In addition to the tragic loss of life, our economy has been deeply affected. The lockdowns, together with general movement restrictions, reduced international travel and slower global growth, have affected nearly every sector of our economy. Tourism, one of Sri Lanka’s highest foreign-exchange earners, which supports nearly 14 per cent of the population, has been devastated. This industry, together with small and medium businesses in many other sectors, has received Government support through interest moratoriums and other financial-sector interventions. Daily-wage earners and low-income groups were also supported through grants of cash and dry rations during lockdowns, adding significantly to State expenditure. In addition to their immediate impact, these economic repercussions of the pandemic have limited the fiscal space available to implement our development programmes.
As devastating as the consequences of the pandemic have been to humankind, the world is facing the even greater challenge of climate change in the decades to come. As emphasized in the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the unprecedented effects of human activity on the health of the planet is deeply worrying. Addressing the grave threats posed by climate change and the loss of biodiversity requires decisive and urgent multilateral action. As a climate-vulnerable country, Sri Lanka is deeply aware of the dangers of climate change. Sri Lanka’s philosophical heritage, deeply rooted in Lord Buddha’s teachings, also emphasizes the vitality of preserving environmental integrity.
It is in those contexts that Sri Lanka is a Commonwealth Blue Charter Champion and leads the Mangrove Restoration Action Group. Through its adoption of the Colombo Declaration on Sustainable Nitrogen Management, which seeks to halve nitrogen waste by 2030, Sri Lanka has also contributed to global efforts to reduce environmental pollution. Having participated virtually in the Pre-Summit held in April, I trust that the United Nations Food Systems Summit later this month will result in actionable outcomes to promote healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems globally. Such outcomes will be crucial to human health as well as the health of our planet.
Sustainability is a cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s national policy framework. Because of sustainability’s importance for soil fertility, biodiversity, waterways and health, my Government completely banned the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and weedicides earlier this year. We are incentivizing the production and adoption of organic fertilizers, as well as investments in organic agriculture. I appreciate the encouragement that we have received from many global institutions and nations for our efforts to create a more sustainable agriculture in Sri Lanka.
The conservation of our environment is one of our key national priorities. We aim to increase forest cover significantly in the coming decades. We are also working to clean and restore more than 100 rivers countrywide and to combat river and maritime pollution. We have banned single-use plastics to support ecological conservation. Sri Lanka recognizes the urgent need to reduce the use of fossil fuels and support decarbonization. Our energy policy is aimed at increasing the contribution of renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydropower to 70 per cent of our national energy needs by 2030.
My country welcomes the support of the international community as we engage in the task of reviving our economy and implementing our national development programme. We intend to make full use of our geostrategic location, robust institutions, strong social infrastructure and skilled workforce to attract investment and broaden trade relationships. My
Government is focusing on extensive legal, regulatory, administrative and educational reforms to facilitate that and to deliver prosperity to all our people.
Sri Lanka has enjoyed a universal adult franchise since pre-independence. The democratic tradition is an integral part of our way of life. My election in 2019 and the parliamentary elections in 2020 saw Sri Lankan voters grant my Government an emphatic mandate to build a prosperous and stable country and uphold national security and sovereignty.
In 2019, Sri Lanka experienced the devastation wrought by extremist religious terrorists in the Easter Sunday attacks. Before that, we suffered from a separatist terrorist war for 30 years, until 2009. Terrorism is a global challenge that requires international cooperation if it is to be overcome, especially on matters such as intelligence-sharing. Violence has robbed Sri Lanka of thousands of lives and decades of prosperity in the past half century. My Government is committed to ensuring that such violence never takes place in Sri Lanka again, and we are therefore acting to address the core issues behind it. Fostering greater accountability, restorative justice and meaningful reconciliation through domestic institutions is essential to achieving lasting peace. So too is ensuring more equitable participation in the fruits of economic development. It is my Government’s firm intention to build a prosperous, stable and secure future for all Sri Lankans, regardless of ethnicity, religion or gender. We are ready to engage with all domestic stakeholders and to obtain the support of our international partners and the United Nations in this process. However, history has shown that lasting results can only be achieved through home-grown institutions reflecting the aspirations of the people. Sri Lanka’s Parliament and judiciary and its range of independent statutory bodies should have unrestricted scope to exercise their functions and responsibilities.
In keeping with the theme of our general debate today, if we are to truly build resilience through hope, we must all strive towards the common good. It is the role of the United Nations to facilitate that by treating all sovereign States, irrespective of size or strength, equitably and with due respect for their institutions and heritage. I request the United Nations and the international community to ensure the protection of the Buddhist heritage of Afghanistan. I call on the Member States of the General Assembly to work together in a spirit of true cooperation, generosity, goodwill and mutual respect to foster a better and more sustainable future for all humankind.