Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa
Ministries of Foreign and Home Affairs sign MoU to expand Electronic Document Attestation System to Divisional Secretariat level
Friday, 17 August 2018 20:36
With a view to expanding the document attestation services provided through the Electronic Document Attestation System (e-DAS) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Divisional Secretariat level, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministries of Foreign and Home Affairs on 16 August 2018.
Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prasad Kariyawasam and Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs S.T. Kodikara signed the MoU in the presence of Minister of Home Affairs Vajira Abeywardena, during the Government Agents' Conference held at the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA).
The MoU will enable the expansion of the Electronic Document Attestation System to Divisional Secretariats initially as a pilot project at the 19 Divisional Secretariats in the Galle District. The expectation is to extend the facility to all 332 Divisional Secretariats island-wide subsequently.
Connecting the Divisional Secretariats island-wide to the Electronic Document Attestation System will allow the general public to have their required documentation processed at the nearest Divisional Secretariat, without visiting the Consular Affairs Division in Colombo. People in the Northern Province who currently visit the Regional Consular Office in Jaffna for this purpose too would be able to have document attestation done through their nearest Divisional Secretariats instead of the Regional Consular Office. For the pilot project, the Canadian Government has donated equipment worth Rs. 6.8 million through the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Home Affairs Minister Vajira Abeywardena thanked the Canadian Government for the donation of equipment to implement the pilot project, and requested all Government Agents to extend their support to have the Electronic Document Attestation System implemented at the Divisional Secretariats in all Districts.
In his remarks, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prasad Kariyawasam observed that the functioning of the Electronic Document Attestation System at the Divisional Secretariat level would effectively serve the community of migrant workers who annually remit a substantial amount of foreign exchange to the country.
This initiative is part of the endeavours of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to streamline, decentralize and improve Consular service delivery to the public through digitalization.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
17 August 2018
Sri Lanka becomes a Member of the Conference on Interactions and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA)
Friday, 17 August 2018 14:31
Sri Lanka was unanimously accepted as a Member of the Conference on Interactions and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on 15 August 2018, by its 26 Member States. At a ceremony held in Beijing on 15 August, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the People’s Republic of China, Dr. Karunasena Kodithuwakku signed the Declaration of Principles Guiding Relations among the CICA Members States and the Almaty Act, the two mandatory documents that a new Member State is required to sign to obtain full membership.
Established in 1992, the CICA is a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia, which focuses on confidence building measures. Sri Lanka has been an Observer State of the CICA since 2012.
The membership of the CICA would further enhance Sri Lanka’s bilateral, economic and trade cooperation as well as people to people contacts with other CICA Member States.
The Member States of the CICA include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.
The current Chair of the CICA is China and the Secretariat of the Conference is located in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
17 August 2018
Text in Sinhala (PDF)
Text in Tamil (PDF)
Sri Lanka and Oman sign Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion
Thursday, 16 August 2018 20:01
During the Second Meeting of the Sri Lanka-Oman Bilateral Consultations, held on 15 August 2018 in Colombo at senior officials' level, an Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Sultanate of Oman was signed by the leaders of the respective delegations.
The Sri Lanka delegation to the Bilateral Consultations was led by Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Prasad Kariyawasam and the delegation of Oman was headed by the Under-Secretary for Diplomacy and Chief Master's Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman Mahmood Awad Al Hassan. Senior Officials of both Foreign Ministries participated in the discussions with several line Ministries and agencies representing Sri Lanka joining as well.
Second Integrated Consular Mobile Service coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held in Mannar on 12 – 13 August 2018
Wednesday, 15 August 2018 13:37
The 2nd Integrated Consular Mobile Service (ICMS), coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was held on 12 – 13 August 2018 at the Mannar Town Hall.
The purpose of the ICMS was to address the consular related needs of those who had sought refuge overseas during the conflict and returned to Sri Lanka following the end of the conflict. During the two-day ICMS, 242 applications for citizenship were received, 59 consular birth certificates were issued, and clarification was provided to those seeking advice and guidance on matters related to citizenship and birth certificates.
Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana participated in the ICSM on 12 August and interacted with the people seeking assistance.
Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Registrar General’s Department and the Citizenship Division of the Department of Immigration and Emigration conducted the ICMS.
The 1st ICMS was held in Killinochchi on 01 – 02 July 2018 at which 201 applications for citizenship were received and 61 consular birth certificates were issued.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo.
15 August 2018
Text in Sinhala (PDF)
Text in Tamil (PDF)
Sri Lanka - Progress Report
Monday, 13 August 2018 14:45
1) The Government will offer a Rs.1 billion tea replanting subsidy this year to increase tea plantations and encourage planters.
https://www.news.lk/economy/item/21781-govt-allocates-rs-1-bn-for-tea-replanting
2) Chairperson of Export Development Board says Sri Lanka is on course to reach the 2018 export target of US$ 17.5 billion set up by the government. The government has also set up an export target of US$ 20 billion revenue for 2019 and 23 billion for 2020 end.
https://www.news.lk/news/world/item/21758-sl-on-course-for-us-17-5-bn-export-target-for-2018
3) Prime Minister launched a program to empower women socially, economically, and politically and make them contribute to the government's development drive. A workshop was held at Temple Trees under the patronage of the Prime Minister to educate 2,000 women on the "Dhanabhimani" Program.
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_18B/Aug10_1533918306CH.php
4) The Ministry of Youth Affairs facilitated a 15-day nationwide campaign from the 12th to the 26th of August 2018 to celebrate the International Youth Day and empower the youth. The main celebration of the international youth day and the exhibition held in Colombo (August 12) under the guidance of the Yoth Affairs Ministry.
5)Trincomalee will become Sri Lanka’s ‘Eastern Gateway’ and will be remodelled as a hub for tourism, exports and logistics under a master plan for the district done by Singapore’s urban planning firm Surbana Jurong Consultants Pvt Ltd. The master plan adopts a ‘B.L.U.E. (biodiversity, liveability, uniqueness, economy) urbanism’ planning approach.
6)Global travel giant Airbnb and the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), the national tourism ministry, announced a strategic partnership to launch Airbnb Experiences in Sri Lanka and drive local, authentic and sustainable tourism across the country. This is the first agreement Airbnb entered into with a state tourism entity in Asia.
7) Sri Lanka’s apparel industry is negotiating with Korea and Indonesia to buy fabric to secure a complete duty waiver exporting to the European Union (EU) under the GSP + concessions. Fabrics from Korea and Indonesia are said to be of a higher quality and purchasing from these countries would help Sri Lanka obtain a complete waiver of the duty concessions under the GSP + trade with the EU.
12-08-2018
Visit of the Commonwealth Secretary General to Sri Lanka - Enhancing the Collaborative Partnership
Friday, 10 August 2018 18:51
The Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland QC undertaking her first official visit to Sri Lanka from 01-04 August, engaged in wide ranging discussions with the Prime Minister, Speaker and many other important cabinet Ministers in collaborating with Sri Lanka for a broader partnership on sustainable ocean development, open trade and trade facilitation, climate change, and social development through sports.
She hailed Sri Lanka stepping forward to become a champion country in the Commonwealth Blue Charter and the initiative taken to lead a commonwealth action group on conservation of mangroves to work together to manage and protect our oceans.
Reflecting on the fact that 60% of the commonwealth population was youth, she invited Sri Lanka to give leadership to a project in the region particularly in harnessing youth engagement in the development process through sports. “Our ‘Peace at the Crease’ brings together men and women, young and old, and people from all faiths and those of none to face some of the most challenging issues of today’ the Secretary- General said suggesting that the cricket could be a pedal for community engagement and social development. She also encouraged Sri Lanka to participate further in the commonwealth innovation hub and share our expertise with the member countries in utilizing our synergies for scientific development.
Elaborating on the Commonwealth’s Climate Finance Access Hub, the Secretary General spoke of the expertise developed which will help countries overcome difficulties on climate financing, and make successful applications to the international funds that address climate change. The Commonwealth member nations were encouraged to access this facility in the event of processing applications to draw from financing mechanisms such as the Green Fund - for projects to help people adapt to climate change and mitigate its effect.
The Commonwealth Secretariat under its democracy and good governance initiatives afforded technical assistance to Sri Lanka in many fronts. The Secretary General congratulated the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka for securing ‘A’ accreditation in full compliance with the Paris Principles at the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).
In a press statement during the visit, she credited President Maithripala Sirisena for initiating the Constitutional reform process in 2015 and noted that by strengthening the process to appoint independent commissions, including the Human Rights Commission the President has worked towards enhancing transparency and accountability of the good governance process.
In espousing the commonwealth values, Sri Lanka’s contribution towards the Small States Trade Financial Facility which was jointly setup by India, Mauritius, Malta and Sri Lanka was noted with appreciation as the Commonwealth Small States will have access to US $ 300 million of incremental trade finance over a three year period from this programme.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe while acknowledging the Secretariat’s technical support extended to Sri Lanka in many fronts stated that “Sri Lanka will continue to spearhead the journey to build the country’s reputation and engage in trade relations and work towards securing a place for Sri Lanka in the international arena.
The Secretary-General sharing the Commonwealth Toolkits on several focused areas inter alia, Governance and Accountability, Sustainable Development Goals implementation, Climate Change, Legal etc, highlighted the importance of having Toolkits to share and learn the best- practices among the Commonwealth countries. Sri Lanka agreed to look into the possibility of pioneering a toolkit for implementation which would enable its further development to suit the commonwealth member country requirements.
Concluding her 4 day stay, the Secretary-General visited the mangrove restoration sites in Kalpitiya and Pambala and encouraged Sri Lanka to further engage with the commonwealth through the Blue Charter and sharing of knowledge in protecting the ocean from the effects of climate change, pollution and over-fishing which will affect one third of the world’s national coastal waters, helping to sustain livelihoods and ecosystems globally. The Secretary General commended Sri Lanka on its project under the Queens Commonwealth Canopy initiative at Namalwatte, Trincomalee, and the particular focus given for restoration of an area devastated by conflict, having a positive impact on the lives of the local community surrounding this area.
This visit has paved the way for Sri Lanka to work with the Commonwealth more closely on the agreed outcome of the Summit concluded in April 2018 in the UK based on fairness, prosperity and a sustainable and secure agenda in a collaborative spirit of the member nations. Sri Lanka will also host the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting in 2019.
Sri Lanka is a founding member of the modern Commonwealth which has 53 member countries and operates facilitating co-operation mainly in the areas of ; economic, social and sustainable development; Governance and Peace; Trade, Oceans and Natural Resources.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo.
Launching of the "Ahanna" programme
Friday, 10 August 2018 18:36
Press release dated 09 August 2018,Department of Government Information with regard to the launching of the "Ahanna" programme, which aims to promote reconciliation and mutual trust among communities. This programme, initiated by the Ministry of Finance & Mass Media and the Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms (SCRM), will be implemented island-wide.
The videos of the programmes held in Dehiwala and Panadura on 08 and 09 August 2018, could be viewed via the following links and are available on the Ministry's Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW0YOnOnAxU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2us1xFetVaw&t=15s
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