19th May 2025 09:41:28 Hours
A Sri Lankan delegation headed by Hon. Arun Hemachandra, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment, participated in the United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025, held in Berlin, Germany, from 13-14 May 2025.
The four-member delegation included Major General A.H.L.G Amarapala RWP RSP ndc psc, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, Brigadier S. Wickramasekara, Military Advisor to the Permanent Mission in New York and Superintendent of Police Mr. R.M. Wimalarathne.
Reflecting Sri Lanka’s enduring commitment to global peace and security, the delegation proposed a credible Human Rights Vetting mechanism to facilitate the deployment of a larger contingent of Sri Lankan peacekeepers. Addressing the forum, Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s readiness to contribute more meaningfully to UN peacekeeping missions, calling on the UN to recognise Sri Lanka as a trusted and capable partner.
The Sri Lankan delegation also held a series of bilateral discussions headed by Deputy Minister and Deputy Chief of Staff with high level government and military representatives from Germany, South Korea, South Africa, the United States, Japan, Australia, the Czech Republic, and Liberia. These discussions primarily focused on enhancing collaboration in UN peacekeeping operations, emphasizing high standards of transparency, adaptability, and accountability; particularly in combat engineering (C-IED and EOD), construction engineering, force protection, technical cooperation, and increasing the participation of women in peacekeeping missions.
In addition to peacekeeping, the bilateral engagements explored opportunities to expand partnerships in key sectors such as tourism, industry, vocational training, and foreign employment, reflecting Sri Lanka’s broader foreign policy goals of sustainable development and international cooperation.
By actively contributing to this global dialogue, Sri Lanka aims to elevate its role in international peacekeeping, expand the deployment of its peacekeepers, and reinforce the credibility of its troops serving under the UN flag.
