(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has commended the efforts taken by Sri Lanka in post-war peacebuilding and reconciliation when the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in Geneva Ambassador A.L.A Azeez met with the President of the ICRC Peter Maurer at the ICRC Headquarters recently.
Referring to various measures taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to address humanitarian aspects involved in peacebuilding and reconciliation, Mr. Maurer has noted the recent progress achieved in establishing and operationalizing the Office on Missing Persons (OMP).
Ambassador Azeez conveyed the appreciation of the Government of Sri Lanka for technical assistance provided by the ICRC particularly at the preparatory stages of work relating to draft policy and legal framework and structure of OMP.
Mr. Maurer commended Sri Lanka for becoming a State party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Treaty) and the Convention on Cluster Munitions (Oslo Treaty), which he noted “sent a positive signal regarding the range of commitments that Sri Lanka has undertaken in humanitarian disarmament.”Ambassador Azeez said Sri Lanka look forward to further cooperation with the ICRC on technical expertise and capacity building in areas of shared priority