Sri Lanka

2015: Attended the state consultations on the SSD in Geneva – led by Norway.

August 2016: CAAC Open Debate: “Attacks on schools and hospitals were starkly prevalent this past year, and documented in 19 out of 20 situations of conflict. The increasing use of air strikes and explosive weapons in populated areas has had a devastating impact on schools and hospitals.”

February 2017: Meeting with GVA mission. Interested in why other Asian countries had not joined. Interested, said everybody should support an initiative such as this. But somehow didn’t exude enthusiasm for ensuring Sri Lanka joins. Will need to consider next steps on engaging with them.

August 2017: Bede will travel to Sri Lanka during the first week of October and will seek meetings with relavant Ministries.

October 2017: Human Rights Watch made a submission on Sri Lanka to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, focusing on follow-up to previous CRC recommendations regarding military use of schools, and calling on Sri Lanka to endorse the Declaration. The submission was reported in an article in the Sri Lanka Times.

February 2018: In advance of OPAC turns 18 event, GCPEA issued letter highlighting that Sri Lanka has signed OPAC, Paris, and Vancouver, but not the Declaration,and calling for endorsement.

February 2018: In advance of the End Violence Solutions Summit in Stockholm on 14-15 February, GCPEA issued letter to Sri Lanka, highlighting the Declaration and calling for endorsement.

December 2018: GCPEA met with the Ambassador of Sri Lanka. He referred to Sri Lanka’s policy of free education since 1947, their 90% literacy rate, and the fact that they achieved the Millennium Development Goal on education. Women are outpacing men. He said that the government had managed to continue education during the conflict, and the army had avoided impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure as much as possible. Children had been recruited from schools by armed groups. He told the story of one boy he met during the truth and reconciliation process who was kidnapped during his final exams. He was interested in how ICRC and Geneva Call can engage with armed non-state actors. He responded favourably to the suggestion that Sri Lanka, with its experience of conflict, could endorse the Declaration and become a leader in the region. GCPEA followed up in writing, sharing a letter for the Foreign Minister.

July 2022: Apolline and Nevena met with the Ambassador H.E. Mr. Mohan Pieris to discuss recent updates on the SSD and Sri Lanka’s position on endorsement (as you might remember, he spoke at the virtual EuA launch). This was our first meeting with Sri Lanka. The Ambassador was very supportive of the Declaration and its commitments. He explained that Sri Lanka continued to provide education during the civil war and that they had been developing online learning in response to Covid-19, as examples of good practice to their commitment to education. He was curious about the low level of endorsement in Asia and asked which country had endorsed. We pointed out that as a troop contributing country, it would be an important step for Sri Lanka to endorse. The Ambassador explained that he would send a report back to his capital recommending endorsement. In the meantime, he said that he would nominate one of his Counsellor to work on this file. Overall, a positive meeting.

February 2023: On 08 February, Apolline and Nevena met with H.E. Ms. Himalee Arunatilaka, Ambassador at the PM in Geneva. The Ambassador was new and unaware of the Declaration so we provided a full background, emphasizing Sri Lanka’s role in sharing good practice through the state-led implementation network (on continuing education during the conflict and existing national law on military use), and as a troop-contributing country. She was also interested in the issue of child recruitment and how it related to the SSD. Therefore we stressed that endorsement would be building on their commitment to this issue evident through their support of the Paris and Vancouver Principles. She asked about the process for endorsement and promised to share a note with her capital.

September 2023: Following Sri Lanka’s announcement of endorsement at the UNSC CAAC debate in July, I followed up with Norway to ask if they had received a formal letter. Unfortunately, they did not. Norway proceeded to organize a meeting with Sri Lanka’s PR in New York to ask for an update on the status of endorsement. The PR explained that while they had made this announcement, there was no firm intention to endorse back in capital. GCPEA decided to follow-up with a formal letter encouraging Sri Lanka to complete the endorsement procedure. The champion states (Argentina, Nigeria, Norway, and Spain) agreed to send this letter jointly with GCPEA. The letter was addressed to the PR in Geneva, with MFA and MoE in copy, and it was sent on 26 September by Spain. We did not receive a response.