Statement by Mr. Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka
under the Item 25 (Social Development) of the General Discussion of the Third Committee

Mr. Chair,

My delegation takes this opportunity to extend warm felicitations to you and the members of the bureau on your election and assure our fullest support and cooperation during this session. My delegation aligns itself with the statement made by Cuba on behalf of the G-77 and China.

Mr Chair,

We have come to realize, as the analogy goes, at half time', that we are falling hopelessly short of achieving the SDGs at full time due to multiple factors inclusive principally of the Covid-19 pandemic. The political declaration adopted at the recently concluded SDG Summit confirms that achieving the SDGs is in peril. The reversal of the development gains during the last few years has created a situation where poverty, unemployment and social exclusion continues to grow unabated across the globe.

Mr. Chair,

Today we live in a world where inequality has become a major part of the labour market. The environment itself creates obstacles to decent work, particularly to the disadvantaged groups. This issue must be addressed through comprehensive, gender-responsive, adaptive and sustainable social protection systems, in addition to the implementation of policies to widen the opportunities for decent employment. We are living in a world where the progress made in assuring decent work has been seriously stifled resulting in gaps in our policy objectives.

Mr. Chair,

Sri Lanka has been no exception to these challenges and are engaging in overcoming them to the best of our ability. We are a party to all the major ILO Conventions and have given effect to them through our domestic legislation. You would agree that legislation alone is no panacea to the problem. It is our view that the public and private sector must join hands to address the loss of livelihoods of individuals due to the pandemic-induced economic downturn and the global insecurities.

Mr. Chair

Sri Lanka’s distinctive achievements in Social Development are well established within the development discourse. The country has had a proud record of addressing the basic needs of its people. These are best reflected in terms of the life-expectancies, maternal as well as infant mortality indicators. As a result, Sri Lanka has been considered a success story and extensively discussed in the development literature. These stories include Sri Lanka’s approach to poverty alleviation and well-being as well.

However, last year, Sri Lanka experienced its most challenging period in recent times amidst unprecedented global crises. In overcoming challenges resulting from widespread social unrest and protests, the Government and the people have ensured that our democratic traditions and institutions remained stable. Since then, the Government has been successful in restoring economic stabilization, while addressing the underlying fiscal and financial governance issues on a priority basis. The IMF Extended Fund Facility for Sri Lanka was approved in March 2023 and Sri Lanka has already initiated the necessary fiscal, monetary and governance reforms, as well as measures to mitigate the economic impact of the reforms on the poor and vulnerable. Against the backdrop of the economic and financial crisis faced by Sri Lanka last year, Sri Lanka’s remarkable progress in several areas of Social Development such as education, health and nutrition continue to be maintained amidst a most challenging environment.

Mr. Chairman,

The Government of Sri Lanka is committed to overcoming these challenges with the assistance of our development partners. However, we are today in a situation where multiple crises faced by the world can at any time disproportionately affect any developing country and retard hard won gains. It is therefore only logical and correct that reform of the financial architecture needs to be urgently undertaken in order to make it more responsive to the current challenges. We need to form partnerships, both South-South and North-South, in order to maintain development gains and maintain the momentum to progress.

Mr. Chair,

The report of the Secretary General for the Commission for Social Development of 21 November 2022 makes reference to the fact that the developed economies are projected to almost fully recover by 2023. The question is, 'at whose cost'? This forecast is of little solace when “Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Southern Asia are expected to face the largest and most persistent output losses.” The report further acknowledges that “This uneven pace of recovery between developed and developing economies will widen inequality across countries if not checked through active socioeconomic policies”.

In the coming years, Sri Lanka remains hopeful to realize the full potential of the national output through a sustainable economic recovery. Our own experience and the experience of the world in recent times have shown that reform of the international financial architecture is a global imperative today. It is a sine qua non that international assistance through multilateral institutions should be rendered when a nation needs it on its road to recovery and not at the verge of collapse.

Mr. Chair, in conclusion, Sri Lanka believes that a concerted, holistic policy approach with near to long-term strategies, based on the Political Declaration of the SDG Summit, must be undertaken if we are to effectively resuscitate Agenda 2030. It is imperative that we build resilience through hope and overcoming inequalities. Sri Lanka remains committed to working together with the international community in a spirit of true cooperation, generosity, goodwill, and mutual respect to foster a better and more sustainable future for all humanity.

Thank you.

Link to the Video : https://youtu.be/ZgfCvYwgXww