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A. Rajapakse: Address to Peace Summit 2023, Opening Plenary
Written by Hon. Ajith Nishantha Rajapakse, deputy speaker, Parliament of Sri Lanka
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Address to Peace Summit 2023
May 2-5, 2023
Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, fellow panelists, summit participants:
It is indeed an honor to attend this UPF Peace Summit.
The government of Sri Lanka has a Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony. This is because we know the vital importance of being a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious nation. This is who we are. Advancing these ideals is the stated goal of this ministry.
Sri Lankans, as well as good leaders everywhere, know the volatile nature and unpredictable character of hate crimes. Therefore, our government enforces a “zero tolerance” policy on such acts of radical extremism.
The first point in the “Action Plan” of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony states that while we embrace Buddhism as the main religion of Sri Lanka, we consciously and continually define ourselves as a multi-cultural country that not only tolerates but also welcomes various minority cultures.
Some of the policies and programs of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony include:
- Organizing a peace committee comprised of all religious leaders.
- Establishing and publicizing a code of conduct in consultation with leaders of different communities for the observance of various festivals.
- Monitoring religious processions to deter communal violence.
- Taking effective and meaningful actions to curb and verify rumors.
- Distributing inspiring literature among government and private sector students.
- Monitoring and briefing the media to avoid exaggerated perceptions about incidents that may provoke untoward sentiments.
- Appointing a chief minister and four state ministers for Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.
- Establishing a volunteer enforcement program comprised of retired police officers.
Our government advances policies that celebrate both religious and ethnic diversity. For this reason, it was natural for H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was the prime minister of Sri Lanka, to extend his solidarity for UPF’s Asia Pacific Union (APU) initiative in 2021.
We applaud Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon for her spiritual vision and practical foresight to propose the creation of the APU in Japan in 2019. The support of former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for it encourages us. Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia laid the groundwork for this project through his Asian Vision Institute, showing courage, insight and political statesmanship.
Assuredly, this project will pave the way for advancing the common cultural values of Asia, namely, altruism, filial piety and marital fidelity, and a global mindset to protect our only home—this planet Earth. Let us be reminded that the theme of this summit calls us all to a global order that moves us closer “toward a world culture of peace.”
Thank you for your kind attention.
To go to the Peace Summit 2023 Schedule page, click here.