On the sidelines of the 5th WTO Trade Policy Review, Hon. Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe held key bilateral meetings to boost Sri Lanka’s trade, labour, and digital cooperation agenda.
- Met with ILO to enhance social protection and cooperative reform
- Engaged WEF on investment & digital trade strategies
- Strengthened collaboration with ITC on MSMEs & SheTrades
- Discussed trade facilitation and IFD with EU WTO Ambassador
- Secretary to the Ministry also met STDF to explore SPS support
Hon. Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe led Sri Lanka’s 5th Trade Policy Review (TPR) at the WTO, presenting bold economic reforms and reaffirming commitment to transparent, inclusive trade governance.
- Focus areas: Tariff reform, MSME support, digital trade
- Praise for Fisheries Subsidies ratification
- Support pledged by key trading partners
Minister also met Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of WTO to align technical cooperation with Sri Lanka’s trade reform agenda.
Mr. Chair,
Madam Secretary-General,
Excellencies, Colleagues,
Sri Lanka is pleased to join this Ministerial Meeting and fully aligns with the Declaration just adopted. We thank you, Mr. Chair, for your leadership and commend the unity of our Group at this critical juncture.
Mr. President,
Madam Secretary-General of UNCTAD,
Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,
It is a great honour for Sri Lanka to speak at this important UNCTAD XVI Conference. I thank the Government and people of Switzerland for hosting us in this historic city of Geneva, where UNCTAD was born over 60 years ago.
Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe, Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Co-operative Development paid a courtesy call on Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director General of the International Labour Organization on 16 October 2025 at the ILO Office, on the margins of the Fifth Review of the Trade Policies and Practices of Sri Lanka, which is being held from 15-17 October 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Allow me at the outset to thank the UN Network on Migration and the Permanent Mission of Ecuador for organizing this event. We are particularly pleased to participate in this dialogue, having joined the GCM Champions Initiative in March this year.
Mr. President,
Sri Lanka participated in discussions on this resolution in a spirit of open and constructive engagement, that we have demonstrated throughout in our interactions with this Council.
- Sri Lanka reaffirms its commitment to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances
- Opening Statement by Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Minister of Justice and National Integration at the consideration of Sri Lanka’s Initial Report under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
- Sri Lanka’s review under the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED)to be held in Geneva