Sri Lanka pledges funds to the UN Secretary-General’s Youth Envoy

Ambassador Dr. Palitha Kohona, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, on 5 June handed over a pledge from the Government of Sri Lanka to contribute US$ 30,000 in support of the operations of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi.

Presenting the pledge, Ambassador Kohona said that Sri Lanka has successfully engaged youth in its policy making processes, beginning at the grassroots level. He also detailed the ongoing preparations of Government of Sri Lanka to host the World Conference on Youth in 2014.

Special Envoy Alhendawi said that next year’s World Conference on Youth in Sri Lanka would be an opportunity for sharing best practices to mainstream youth aspirations in the global development agenda. He is due to visit Sri Lanka this month and is expected to meet the Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development and Minister of External Affairs.

Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Under-Secretary-General for Communication and Public Communication, assured Sri Lanka of the solid commitment of the United Nations to partner with us to ensure a successful World Conference on Youth and assist with the follow up. Nicola Shepherd of the UN Focal Point on Youth and representatives of the UN Inter Agency Network on Youth Affairs were also present.