News
“Lanka could follow Mexican path to recover from economic mess”
Lanka has the potential to boost trade and tourism with Mexico
By Zanita Careem
Mexican Ambassador Federico Salas Lotfe handed his credentials to President Ranil wickremasinghe on Friday (Nov 11) at the Presidential Secretariat. Ambassador Salas, at a media conference held at Kingsbury hotel the day before he handed over his credentials, said that he was happy to be in Sri Lanka and would strive to strengthen the ties between the two countries. He said that diplomatic relations between the two countries dated back to the 1960’s.
Ambassador Salas is a career diplomat who rose to the ranks of Ambassador in 2000. He was Mexico’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2001 to 2007, Israel from 2007 to 2015 and Indonesia 2015 to 2017 after which he was appointed as Mexico’s permanent Representative to the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) from 2017 to 2019. He has been Mexico’s Ambassador to India, concurrent to Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka since 2019.
The Mexican Ambassador said that Sri Lanka has the potential to boost trade and tourism with Mexico. He said that exports from Sri Lanka out weighed imports from Mexico by a big margin. Sri Lanka exported tea, cinnamon and other spices to Mexico.
Speaking about Mexico, he said that his country is fast becoming a top tourist destination in the world
As it had a unique culture and boasted of over two dozen world heritage sites that dated back from the time of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. He said that Mexican Cuisine varied greatly from region to region.
Mexican writers and artists have received worldwide acclaim for their creativity and originality and both nations can benefit form cultural exchanges between the two countries. He said that student exchanges was another way to improve the bond between the countries.
Sri Lanka is currently following the same successful path that Mexico followed to overcome their economic recession (Tequila crisis) in 1995, said Ambassador Salas.
He said Mexico’s economy experienced a severe recession as a result of the peso’s devaluation and the flight to safer investments from 1994. The country’s GDP declined by 6.2% throughout 1995. Mexico’s banks collapsed and the country faced severe inflation and extreme poverty skyrocketed as real wages plummeted. Unemployment nearly doubled and over one million people lost their jobs. Prices increased by 35%.
He said that one of the first things they did was ask people to tighten their belts and cut down public expenditure similar to what Sri Lanka is doing today. An ambitious programme was also launched to sell off Mexico’s largest public enterprises “Morocco also sought IMF assistance for a bail package towards setting their long-standing intention and also contacted donor countries like America to obtain fresh credit.”
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
