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President Gotabaya calls on world community to protect Afghanistan’s Buddhist heritage
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa urged the United Nations (UN) and the international community to ensure the protection of Afghanistan’s Buddhist heritage under Taliban rule.
Addressing the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday (22), President Rajapaksa also stressed that Sri Lanka’s philosophical heritage was deeply rooted in Lord Buddha’s teachings while emphasising the vitality of preserving the country’s environmental integrity.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the UN (Photo Credit UN)
Last month shortly after the Taliban captured the capital city of Kabul, the UN cultural agency- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)–called for the protection of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage sites.
“Amid the rapidly unfolding events, and 20 years after the deliberate destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, a World Heritage site, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay calls for the preservation of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage. It is crucial for the future of Afghanistan to safeguard and preserve these landmarks,” a statement from UNESCO said.
President Rajapaksa also said that Sri Lanka welcomes the support of the international community as it engages in the task of reviving its economy and carrying out its national development programmes.
“We intend to make full use of our strategic location and our robust institutions, strong social infrastructure and skilled workforce to attract investments and broader trade relationships,” the President said.
During his 18 minute speech in the UN assembly, President Rajapaksa also stressed that although still a developing nation, Sri Lanka has been very successful in its vaccination programme.
“We have already fully vaccinated nearly all those above the age of 30. Everyone over the age of 20 will be fully vaccinated by the end of October. We will start vaccinating children over 15 years of age in the near future. The rapid progress of vaccinations was enabled by coordinated efforts between healthcare workers, Armed Forces and Police personnel, Government servants, and elected officials,” he said.
Sri Lanka also benefitted greatly from financial and material support provided by bilateral and multilateral donors to manage the pandemic, he said while thanking those nations and institutions for their generosity. He added that the increased global cooperation visible during this ongoing crisis is greatly encouraging.
The President stressed that the economic impact of the pandemic has been especially severe on developing countries. This has placed the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals at considerable risk. “It is vital that more initiatives including development financing and debt relief be adopted through international mechanisms to support developing nations and help them emerge from this uncertain situation.”
As devastating as the consequences of the pandemic have been to humanity, the world faces the even greater challenge of climate change in the decades to come, President Rajapaksa said.