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New U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka reiterates human rights, accountability her priorities
While stressing the need for enhanced economic corporation between the two nations, the new American ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, who reached out to expatriates in the United States to a mixed group of Sinhalese, Tamis and Muslims told that her priority in Colombo during her tenure will be working with the Sri Lanka government on issues concerning human rights, reconciliation among nationalities and accountability for human rights abuses.
“These are issues that make broader partnership between our two countries”, and reminded the expatriates in this virtual meeting-session, “the United States has re-joined the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) in Geneva, and will play a bigger role to urge the Sri Lanka government to undertake concrete reforms on reconciliation, accountability and human rights in the forthcoming session.”
This virtual meeting-session that took place on Friday, February 11 was in fact jointly initiated by the U.S. Department of State and Ambassador-designate Julie Chung. The Department reached the California-based Sri Lanka Foundation to reach expatriates in many US States to participate in the discourse.
The Ambassador is expected to leave for Colombo end of next week to present her credentials to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
In response to Ms. Chung’s declaration that human rights, accountability and reconciliation would be her priority during her tenure in Colombo, retired Colonel of the Sri Lanka Army who successfully planned the liberation of Jaffna from the LTTE, in 1995, Lucky Rajasinghe said “it is our sincere wish as Sri Lankan American Citizens, to anticipate a clear road map from you Madam Ambassador in resolving some of the burning issues dragging the image and the functionality of Sri Lanka from an international perspective”.
Ambassador-designate Julie Chung received a clear understanding of what the Sri Lankan-American expatriates are engaged in to promote economic cooperation between the two nations and efforts the expatriates have taken to get Washington’s assistance to alleviate the CORVID-19 disaster in Sri Lanka. She said the U.S. donated 3.1 million vaccines and US$8 million worth of medical assistance. “The Year 2020 alone the U.S. Development Finance Corporation provided US$265 million to Sri Lanka’s small-medium entrepreneurs, and that the US has collaborated in helping Sri Lanka in her economic growth”, she said.
She entertained the dialogue with the expatriate community as she said she herself was an immigrant from Korea at age five, and pledged that she will continue to have discourses with Sri Lankan expatriates in the U.S. “I know the importance of the Diaspora”, she said.
She listened very carefully and made positive comments when the President of the newly inaugurated Sri Lanka-America Chamber of Commerce Sanje Sedera made his presentation to enhance trade, commerce and investments between the two nations.
The Chamber, which is America’s national organisation and based in the convention centre of the world, Las Vegas, in the State of Nevada, as told by President Sedera “is working in conjunction with the United States Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development programme to explore to find Sri Lankan entrepreneurs opportunities in trade shows in the United States”.
Ambassador Julie Chung had a positive response when Mr. Sedera brought to her attention that “Sri Lankan exporters have not been consistently exposed to such trade shows due to economic constraints and stringent Visa process. This initiative to be successful there has to be opportunities presented to the mid to large exporters in Sri Lanka”.
He brought to the attention of the Ambassador that “the U.S. is facing an acute labour shortage in the fields of teaching and nursing. Sri Lanka also has high number of skilled teachers and nurses who could fill these positions. Our Chamber of Commerce has started some initial discussions with some of the universities in Sri Lanka to create the graduates who would be qualified to take these jobs”.
One instance the Sri Lanka America Chamber of Commerce acted to bring the two nations’ active participation in the trade, commerce and investment, Mr. Sedera said, it has had several rounds of discussions with the highest ranking officials of the Export Development Board of Sri Lanka to open up unexplored avenues to exporters in Sri Lanka.
It was revealed by Ms. Keshini Wijegoonaratne, the Director-Project Manager of the Sri Lanka Foundation based in Los Angeles and Lucky Rajasinghe, a leading expatriate social worker, in their successful completion to distribute medical equipment to Sri Lanka during the height of the COVID-19 a couple of months ago both in the South as well as the North of Sri Lanka.
While she noted the importance of Sri Lanka in the Indian-Ocean region, Ambassador-designate Julie Chung, at her testimony for confirmation at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee reiterated “Sri Lanka is positioned in a strategic location at the heart of the Indian Ocean, and its critical ports with access to global maritime lanes and trading routes play a pivotal role in a free and open Indo-Pacific architecture. This reinforces the necessity for the United States to build constructive relationships with Sri Lanka, including with civil society, the private sector, and the Sri Lankan people”.
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
