• Urges fairness in debt and development finance

Sri Lanka called for renewed multilateral cooperation, urgent action on climate justice and meaningful reforms to global institutions during Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath’s address at the 81st Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA) in New York.

Herath said that growing conflicts, humanitarian crises, climate disasters, widening inequalities and rapid technological developments had contributed to a growing erosion of public trust in international institutions. He stressed that global challenges increasingly required collective solutions and that no country could address them alone. “Our answer must therefore be a renewed faith in multilateralism and a UN that listens more closely, represents more fairly and delivers for all,” Herath said in his concluding remarks.

Climate change featured prominently in Sri Lanka's address. Referring to Cyclone Ditwah, which caused hundreds of deaths and affected more than two million people in Sri Lanka, Herath highlighted the disproportionate burden faced by countries that have contributed relatively little to global emissions. He linked Sri Lanka's experience with the devastating floods in Nepal and China. He said that the scale of recent disasters demonstrated the enormous human and economic costs of climate change. “Climate justice must become an urgent reality,” Herath said, calling for stronger international action on climate impacts. Sri Lanka also reaffirmed its commitment to reducing emissions, stating that the country is on track towards achieving 70 per cent renewable energy by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.

Herath also called for reforms to the international financial system and greater fairness in debt and development finance. He said that developing countries continued to face significant financial constraints in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and called for existing international commitments to be translated into concrete action.

He also backed the UN80 Initiative, describing it as an opportunity to renew and strengthen the UN and advance meaningful reform.

According to Herath, effective multilateralism requires institutions that are more representative, responsive and capable of addressing the concerns of countries that feel insufficiently represented in global decision-making.

Sri Lanka reaffirmed its longstanding support for the UN, international law and multilateral cooperation. Herath highlighted Sri Lanka's contribution to UN peacekeeping, its support for nuclear disarmament and its engagement in international efforts to protect the world's oceans.

He also addressed conflicts in West Asia, including the situation in Gaza, calling for respect for international humanitarian law and unhindered humanitarian assistance to civilians. Sri Lanka reiterated its support for the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and for an independent and sovereign Palestinian State existing alongside Israel within the pre-1967 borders.

Herath said that Sri Lanka's approach to international affairs is based on maintaining neutrality while placing the protection of human life and human dignity at the centre of its actions.

Concluding his address, he said that the transformation taking place globally must be inclusive and should narrow, rather than deepen, divisions between developed and developing countries.

Sri Lanka, he said, was coming to the UN GA with the conviction that some of the world's most pressing problems can only be addressed through collective international action, reaffirming the country's call for stronger multilateralism, greater climate justice and a more representative and effective global system.

Also, Herath has called for the total and complete elimination of nuclear weapons amid growing concerns over nuclear proliferation and rising global tensions. Herath said that Sri Lanka continues to support international efforts towards nuclear disarmament and stressed the need for collective action to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.

Elsewhere, Sri Lanka has reiterated its call for de-escalation and the peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and diplomacy. This was emphasised when Herath held discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Seyed Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the High-Level Week. The duo exchanged views on current regional and international developments. Herath also encouraged continued negotiations aimed at restoring regional stability at the earliest opportunity, reaffirming Sri Lanka’s support for diplomatic efforts to resolve disputes and reduce tensions in the region.