Commonwealth chief on five-day visit to Sri Lanka

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma is on a visit to Sri Lanka from October 25 to October 29 to brief the current Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, on the achievement of objectives and implementation of work set at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka in November 2013, the Commonwealth has said in a release.

Mr. Sharma, according to the Lanka Page web site, will also meet other members of the Sri Lankan leadership, including External Affairs MInister Professor G L Peiris, The Speaker of the Parliament, Chamal Rajapaksa, and other political leaders.

During his five-day visit, he will also review implementation of various initiatives being undertaken as part of his Good Offices work to support Sri Lanka's national development and post-conflict plans, and will take the opportunity to meet with the Chairperson and Commissioners of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka; the Commissioner of Elections; and, representatives of civil society organizations.

Mr.Sharma will travel to the Northern Province for the first time as Secretary-General where he will spend the day in and around Jaffna to review first-hand post-conflict developments, current priorities and ongoing challenges.

Commonwealth Heads of Government held their biennial meeting in Colombo from 15 to 17 November 2013, where they agreed a set of mandates for implementation by the Commonwealth Secretariat. These included a collective Commonwealth Leaders' Statement on the Post-2015 Development Agenda; strengthened collaboration between the Commonwealth and the G20; the development of a climate finance skills hub; and a proposal for a trade finance facility for small states.

The Secretary-General's Good Offices work in Sri Lanka is part of the Commonwealth's ongoing commitment to support institution-building in the areas of human rights, the judiciary, public service and the media.