• Notes inadequate AI infrastructure facilities; urges spl. UNGA focus on extreme poverty eradication 
• On Gaza, asks int’l community of bystanders to work towards ceasefire, adequate humanitarian aid, release of hostages, Palestinian State

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his maiden address of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) General Debate at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States, Sri Lankan time yesterday (25), proposed to set up a neutral sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) zone in the context of digitalisation.

“Digital democracy is our aim. Ensuring that every person and country can enjoy the opportunities of the digital age is a global challenge. If we succeed, we’ll be able to open doors to technology, accelerate development, and strengthen governance. If we fail, technology will turn into one more force, worsening inequality, insecurity, and injustice. The digital gap between States that can and can’t establish access to digital tools is clear. An even greater gap is being created in relation to AI. Sri Lanka and many other developing Asian nations and also many other nations are facing challenges in using AI as a development tool due to the inadequate infrastructure facilities”.

In his speech, he also touched on issues of poverty and inequality and the associated problems of child hunger and the denial of children’s fundamental right to education, and indebtedness and debt servicing, drugs and organised crime, corruption, conflict and Gaza, racism and religious extremism.  

On poverty and its impact on health and education, the President emphasised that the UNGA must pay special attention to eradicate extreme poverty. “Poverty and problems stemming from it are casting an oppressive shadow on our future. Even in Sri Lanka, children are suffering from hunger. Poverty has denied the right of access to education to hundreds of thousands of children. Education is the most vital factor deciding one’s future. Investment in education is an investment in global progress.” 

Moreover, the President noted the constraints faced by many developing countries in their struggle against poverty due to the burden of indebtedness. “Low-income countries allocate twice as much on debt servicing than on education or healthcare. Our people and countries are caught in debt traps. The time has come to accept that inequality and poverty are global catastrophes and we should act accordingly.” 

Turning his focus to the menace of drugs and organised crimes linked to drugs which have become a serious concern to this world, the President elaborated that the drug problem is a complex issue affecting millions of people globally with the market for drugs and the related criminal organisations creating issues such as drug cartels turning entire States into their hunting grounds globally and in turn posing a major threat to global health, politics and eventual well-being as well. Hence, he urged all to join in the effort to implement the global agenda on drugs and crime, implement the law strictly against these drug traffickers and prevent drug traffickers from taking refuge in our countries, and also to set up rehabilitation centres for rehabilitation purposes.

With a domestic focus on establishing a non-corrupt administration, the President urged that the fight against corruption be an integral part of the culture of all UN Member Countries. “Corruption is an epidemic causing widespread harm to broad swathes of society. Corruption is an obstruction for development, a decisive threat to democracy and global wellbeing, and also a cause for poverty. Fighting corruption is dangerous, but not fighting corruption is even more dangerous”. 

On the subject of international conflicts and the role of the international community, the President, whilst expressing distress concerning the ongoing catastrophe in the Gaza Strip where Gaza has been turned into an open prison full of pain and suffering, echoing with the cries of children and innocent civilians, called on the UN and all related parties to work towards an immediate ceasefire, enable adequate humanitarian aid to these areas and ensure the release of the hostages of all the parties. 

“Recognise the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to their own State. The legal, security and humanitarian concerns of the Israeli and Palestinian people need to be acknowledged. Sri Lanka reiterates the importance of the early implementation of the UNGA resolutions regarding a two-State solution on the basis of the 1967 borders”. 

In conclusion, the President expressed: “Even as suffering caused by conflict has reached unprecedented levels, the international community has become reduced to bystanders. Opportunistic power politics has turned the lives of children and innocent civilians into a game. No one has the right to inflict pain and suffering on another to enhance one’s own power. The duty of a ruler is not to destroy lives but to protect them. Religious extremism and racism have been major causes of wars and conflicts, bringing suffering to millions. The poison of racism still lingers in many places. Extremist and racist ideas are as deadly as epidemics. We must awaken our conscience to oppose racism and religious extremism in the protection of human rights and freedoms. In a world where millions of children die of hunger, we spend millions on weapons. When tens of millions die of inadequate health facilities, hundreds of millions are spent on futile wars. When hundreds of thousands of children are denied the right to education, millions are spent on invading another’s land. The time has come for the international community to stop being a mere spectator and to move decisively to end the suffering of millions.” 

Elsewhere, on the sidelines of the UNGA session, President Dissanayake also held bilateral discussions with the Australian and Pakistani Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Shehbaz Sharif, respectively, and his Portuguese and South African counterparts Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Cyril Ramaphosa, respectively. President Dissanayake and Albanese engaged in discussions aimed at further expanding economic and trade cooperation and strengthening bilateral relations. Particular emphasis was placed on promoting tourism, as well as exploring new investment and market opportunities. President Dissanayake and Sharif reaffirmed the longstanding goodwill between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed ways to further expand cooperation in diverse fields including trade, education, culture, and defense. Both sides emphasised the importance of maintaining high-level exchanges to deepen mutual understanding and partnership. Highlighting the close bond between the people of both the countries, the leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in sports – with a special focus on cricket, a sport cherished in both the nations. They also expressed satisfaction with the existing ties and vowed to build stronger cultural and educational linkages. They also exchanged views on regional and global developments. Sharif also appreciated Colombo’s cooperation with Pakistan at international forums and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka in areas of shared interest.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, who is accompanying the President during his visit, has held bilateral talks with Ministers of several countries including his Maldivian and Finnish counterparts Abdulla Khaleel and Elina Valtonen, respectively, and with the Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Serap Güler. They all reviewed the ongoing cooperation and explored ways to further advance and strengthen close bilateral relations.