UNESCO DG Bokova applauds Govt. efforts to advance reconciliation

Minister of Education and Representative of Sri Lanka to the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Akila Viraj Kariyawasam together with Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO Tilak Ranaviraja represented Sri Lanka at the 200th session of UNESCO’s Executive Board from 7-10 October at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Addressing the plenary session of the Board, Minister Kariyawasam reiterated the advancements made by Sri Lanka in the fields of education, culture and science with a special focus on the efforts taken to mitigate climate change and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Speaking on the education sector, Minister Kariyawasam underlined initiatives taken by Sri Lanka as a champion of free and universal education. Ambassador Ranaviraja thanked UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova for visiting Sri Lanka. 

In response, the Director General, while appreciating the excellent arrangements made for her visit, praised the Government for the progress it has made in advancing reconciliation during a short span of time as a country recovering from an internal conflict. 

A retreat for delegates attending the Executive Board meeting was arranged on the sidelines of its sessions on 8 and 9 October at Château de Chantilly to provide a platform to deliberate on the future direction of the organisation and its priority where Ranaviraja represented the minister.