UN-China-S&SE Asian Countries - Triangular Cooperation on Trade and Investment Facilitation Empowerment

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Your Excellency, Ambassador Palitha T. B. Kohona, Sri Lankan Ambassador to China,

Ms. Luo Xiaomei, Deputy Director-General, Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Commerce,

Mr. Wu Yabin, Head of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Beijing,

Distinguished government officials and business leaders,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good afternoon. It is an honour to participate in this important event and witness this critical step that countries have made to contribute to economic recovery following the pandemic. I appreciate the efforts of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in China and the UNIDO ITPO in Beijing in organizing today’s event.

Sri Lanka has a very special place in my heart. I spent nearly three years there as a young man, one of the most significant and formative years of my life, which perhaps also is the reason that I am in the United Nations today. Sri Lanka's documented history goes back 3,000 years, with evidence of prehistoric human settlements that dates to at least 125,000 years ago. It has a rich cultural heritage. Also called the Granary of the East, Sri Lanka's geographic location and deep harbours have made it of great strategic importance, from the earliest days of the ancient Silk Road trade route to today's so-called maritime Silk Road. 

The island has had a long history of engagement with modern international groups: it is a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the G77, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Sri Lanka is the highest-ranked South Asian nation on the Human Development Index and has the second-highest per capita income in South Asia. However, the ongoing economic crisis has resulted in the collapse of the currency, rising inflation, and a humanitarian crisis due to a severe shortage of essentials.

Sri Lanka is also one of the most resilient countries I have known, and I am absolutely confident that it will overcome its current predicament, and build forward better and stronger.   

More than two years have passed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but global economic recovery and sustainable development remain in dire straits. Global crises created and exacerbated by the pandemic risk the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and have reversed hard-won progress in some areas. In particular, the pandemic is disrupting global trade and crippling international supply chains.

In order to stop the spread of the pandemic, countries have closed their borders, international trade volumes have plummeted as a result, and global supply chains and economic lifelines have suddenly broken down. According to statistics, the decline in world industrial production and goods trade in the first half of 2020 was similar to those at the depths of the Global Financial Crisis. The temporary cessation of international trade can stop the spread of the virus to a certain extent, but we are also coming to realize that a long-term cessation will impede faster and better global recovery. The world needs smooth, open trade with unified and transparent standards in order to share resources such as vaccines, food, and consumer goods that are needed by all countries in difficult times. Some say standards can act as a barrier to trade – even more stringent than tariffs. But standards exist in an economy to assure generally recognized levels of safety and interoperability in both products and processes. In international trade, understanding standards in advance allows a business to conduct smooth export and import, realizing a two-way gain. In this scenario, setting and popularizing standards plays a crucial role in facilitating international trade and supporting businesses in global markets by lowering trade barriers.

The United Nations firmly believes that the ambitious and transformational 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development cannot be achieved without the ideas, energy and tremendous ingenuity of the countries of the Global South. In response, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the five United Nations regional commissions have launched a project to help governments and businesses keep transport networks and standards to facilitate the flow of goods and services while minimizing the spread of COVID-19.

With its unique position in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka can play a decisive role in invigorating trade and economic growth within the region. Today’s event is an important opportunity to help Sri Lanka and more South and Southeast Asian countries' goods to enter China and go global. At the same time, it can help lead us to a more competitive domestic market, better international standards and a more sustainable consumption environment in China.

My counterpart in Sri Lanka, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Ms. Hanaa Singer Hamdy, who leads a United Nations Country Team of 22 resident and non-resident United Nations Agencies, is a passionate advocate of Sri Lanka’s development. Under her leadership, the United Nations has launched a joint Humanitarian Needs and Priorities Plan, calling for US$47.2 million to provide life-saving assistance to 1.7 million people worst-hit by the economic crisis over a four-month period, from June to September 2022.

This directly responds to the Government of Sri Lanka’s request for a United Nations-backed multi-sector international assistance to respond to the most urgent needs arising from the recent crisis, particularly focusing on health care and essential medicines, food and agriculture—including targeted nutrition services— safe drinking water, emergency livelihoods and protection.

We hope the needs of Sri Lanka will be urgently met.

I hope that all participants will see great benefit from this event. I look forward to more cooperation and exchanges, with your support and the attention of more international organizations in the future, to help developing countries in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa to recover and rebuild better, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and contribute to a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous future.

Thank you.