Sri Lanka called for urgent action on climate change, unobstructed humanitarian aid to Gaza and fairer international debt rules in its national statement to the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 28.
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said countries that contributed least to global emissions continued to bear the harshest consequences of climate change. Referring to Cyclone Ditwah, he said it had killed hundreds of people in Sri Lanka, affected more than 2 million and damaged livelihoods and infrastructure.
“Climate justice must become an urgent reality,” Herath said. He said Sri Lanka was on track toward its targets of 70% renewable energy by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
Addressing the conflicts in West Asia, Herath said Sri Lanka remained concerned about the suffering in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. He called on all parties to uphold the Security Council’s ceasefire resolution, allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians without obstruction and make Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction an urgent priority. He reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s support for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel within pre-1967 borders.
Herath also referred to Sri Lanka’s rescue of sailors from a ship in distress near its territorial waters in March. He said the country had acted to protect lives while safeguarding its neutrality.
On the economy, Herath said Sri Lanka had restored macroeconomic stability after the 2022 crisis but remained vulnerable to debt and external shocks. He renewed its call for reform of the international financial system and fairer rules for debt and development finance.
Herath said the government was strengthening institutions to address outstanding issues from Sri Lanka’s civil conflict and pursuing corruption investigations and prosecutions without political interference. He also called for equitable access to technology and said Sri Lanka had developed national guidelines on the ethical use of artificial intelligence. (Newswire)
“We ensured the sanctity of human life. We are a small island nation with a big heart,” Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told the UN General Assembly, referring to Sri Lanka’s rescue of Iranian sailors from the US-struck IRIS Dena and its decision to provide refuge to IRIS… pic.twitter.com/K3KSNgAfdO
— NewsWire
(@NewsWireLK) September 28, 2026
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