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Globalization and Interdependence: International Migration and Development

Statement by Ambassador H.E. Dr. Palitha Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United

Nations

Second Committee of the 65th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Agenda Item 22: Globalization and Interdependence: International Migration and Development

Madame Chair,

My delegation affiliates itself with the statement made by Yemen on behalf of the G77 & China, and

appreciates the Report A/65/203 on this Agenda Item by the Secretary-General.

The issue of migration deserves priority, both at national and international development discussions. Sri

Lanka places migration high in its national development policy, given that an estimated 1.8 million Sri

Lankans currently reside and work abroad. This is equal to 25% of the countrys total employable

population and approximately 8% of the entire population. These migrant workers, whether they are

highly skilled professionals or semi-skilled workers, make a significant contribution both to their own

country as well as to the host countries.

The private remittances of Sri Lankan migrants have significantly augmented our foreign currency

reserves and the national income. It is estimated that private remittances this year will amount to

approximately US$ 4.0 billion. As the Secretary Generals report noted, remittances have shown lower

volatility than other income sources in the midst of the global economic crisis. However, Sri Lanka hopes

to look beyond remittances in terms of utilizing migration in its development strategies.

Sri Lanka is on the verge of rapid economic take off following the decisive conclusion of a three decade

long conflict with the terrorist LTTE. The Government is making large investments in infrastructure and

developing productive assets so that Sri Lankas strengths will be optimized in this post-conflict scenario.We have taken many measures on migration management to ensure that migration becomes a key

contributor to national development.

Sri Lanka considers that a rights based approach to the management of international migration is

critical. Sri Lanka was one of the first countries to ratify the International Convention on the Protection

of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, which entered into force in 2003.

The Convention has now been ratified by 42 States most of which are labour supplying countries. Sri

Lanka considers this Convention to be a core human rights Convention and calls on all States to becomeparty to this Convention.


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We observe that migrants working in the low-skilled segment face more difficulties than other

categories of migrant workers, including a lack of access to basic services. There is a paucity of

international norms to protect workers in the informal sector, particularly domestic workers. We

commend the leadership role played by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the promotion of

a rights based approach to the management of labour migration. We note with satisfaction the adoption

of a resolution in June this year at the ILO Conference in Geneva calling for the drafting of an

international Convention and a Supplementary Recommendation to extend labour standards and social

protection to domestic workers.

Madame Chair,

Health is a fundamental human right and one that is critical for human development, and central to the

Millennium Development Goals. A new aspect of the on-going debate on migration is the exclusion of

many migrants from essential social services in receiving countries, particularly health services. Concern

in connection with access to health services for migrants on the part of many receiving states formed

the basis of the resolution on the health of migrants, which was endorsed by the Sixty-first World Health

Assembly in May 2008, which was chaired by Sri Lanka. Following the adoption of this resolution, Sri

Lanka is spearheading a multi-stakeholder and evidence based process towards developing a National

Policy on Health and Migration, with assistance from the International Organisation of Migration (IOM).

We hope that this model could be emulated by other countries in addressing this important issue.

On the subject of the human face of migration, I would like to highlight the excessive social cost of

migration. Migration leads to a large scale breakdown of families, neglect of children and other

negative outcomes. This needs to be addressed with a sense of urgency. Women migration currently

stands at 49% as underlined in the Secretary Generals Report. The general image of women migrants

being a negative one calls for a gender-based approach to migration management. It is important to

quantify women migrants contribution to the economies of both sending and receiving countries in

order to accord the recognition they deserve. Sri Lanka will continue to emphasize skilled migration and

discourage unskilled female migration.

Madame Chair,

We adopted a National Labour Migration Policy in 2008 with the major objectives of better governance

and regulation of labour migration, providing effective protection and welfare services to migrant

workers and families, and mobilizing remittances effectively for development purposes. A multi-

stakeholder Advisory Committee monitors the implementation of the National Policy, which will play a

critical role in providing technical skills to our migrant workforce. In this context, Sri Lanka will be

encouraging more skilled migration in the future.

We have put in place the national mechanism to manage the issues related to migration by establishing

the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) through a Parliamentary Act. The mandate of this


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Home Statements UNGA Statements 2008 Other An the General Debate of the 29th Session at the

Committee on Information By H.E. Prasad Kariyawasam

An the General Debate of the 29th Session at the Committee on Information By H.E. Prasad

Kariyawasam

Wednesday, 02 May 2007 12:42

At the outset, allow me to congratulate you on your election to chair this Committee and also to other

members of the bureau. My delegation looks forward to working closely with you and your bureau in all

your endeavors. I also wish to extend sincere thanks of appreciation to Ambassador Motoc of Romania

for his leadership and to the members of the previous bureau for their hard work.

May I extend my warm felicitation to Mr. Kiyo Akasaka on his appointment as the Under-Secretary-

General for Communications and Public Information. I wish Mr. Akasaka all success in fulfilling his

mission of giving voice to the United Nations and its activities and look forward to work with him to

obtain a greater profile for the UN, worldwide. I would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank Mr.

Shahsi Tharoor for his diligent work in projecting the image of the United Nations around the globe.

We also welcome The Dominican Republic and Thailand as members of the Committee on Information.

My delegation wishes to align itself with the Statement made by the delegation of Pakistan on behalf of

the G-77 and China.

Sri Lanka commends DPI for its efforts to develop more strategic approach in promoting global

awareness and greater understanding of the work of the UN. My delegation appreciates the work of theDPI in promoting issues of importance to the international community such as Human rights,

International Migration and Development, illicit trafficking of Small Arms, MDG's, Peacekeeping,

Counter Terrorism, and humanitarian relief, among others.

Many developing countries lack resources and technical means to access information including those of

UN's activities and achievements. And some developing countries are information-isolated, and few can

afford to update their knowledge bases. In this regard, we reckon that the Internet speeds up

communication, increases the radius of contact, and reduces needs of local libraries and paper

publications. Internet promises extraordinary opportunities for developing countries although not

sufficient to close to the knowledge gap. In this context, the UN websites are an essential tool by which


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the DPI can improve accessibility for a wider population through use of local languages. At present only

34 languages are reportedly used by UN information centers worldwide. In this regard we underscore

the importance of including more languages in particular from Asia in local UN websites. However, use

of internet does not reduce the need to address the information gap by providing facilities through

traditional forms of communication such as radio, newspapers, locally

My delegation wishes to underscore the importance of the United Nations Information Services (UNIS)

and Centers (UNICs) as a bridge for relaying information between the UN and the public on ground.

These centers without any doubt are vital sources for the flow of information to grass root level. In this

regard my delegation wishes to emphasis the need to use local resources and capacities, both human

and material, in the work of UN on the ground. In addition there is need to empower and promote local

contributions in both of intellectual and social terms in order to formulate the message of the UN more

acceptable and understood at the local level, in particular in countries with long held traditions and

historical experiences. This effort must bear in mind local sensitivities and aspirations in the context of

universal values and norms that UN will always uphold. We re-emphasize the value and contribution

made by local professionals at the UN information centers.

My delegation appreciates the efforts of the DPI in providing specific support for the UN peacekeeping

operations in the field by developing and implementing a strategy to assist peacekeeping operations. In

this regard we welcome closer cooperation between the DPI and the Department of Peacekeeping

Operations (DPKO). It is of vital importance for the UN as well as for the member States that the success

stories of the peace keeping are being told globally and locally.

In conclusion let me reiterate my delegations fullest support for the DPI to carry out its mandate

successfully and also for the work of the Committee.

I thank you.

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