The main ceremony was held at the United Nations Compound in Colombo in the presence of President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Subinay Nandy. UN Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenca who is on an official visit to the country also participated.
The event commenced following a minute of silence to honor Sri Lankan troops who laid their lives during the UN Peacekeeping Operations.
Addressing the gathering, the President said Sri Lanka has made steady progress in achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) decisions and will give preference to the implementation of policies that will benefit the country, especially the youth, in the future.
Speaking at the event, the Prime Minister said UN membership must take stock of the achievements of the organization and deliberate meaningfully on collective approaches to adopt, to meet current and emerging challenges.
He said the relationship between the United Nations and Sri Lanka had been hampered during the past few years and Sri Lanka need to proceed forward by not maintaining conflicts with international organizations.
UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka Subinay Nandy speaking at the gathering said the United Nations and its country team are proud to have been a partner in supporting Sri Lanka to achieve high levels of socio-economic development that it enjoys today.
Nandy reiterated the commitment of the United Nations system to support Sri Lanka in addressing the challenges, honoring aspirations of the multi ethic, multi religious and a multi-cultural nation.
At the event, the President and the Prime Minister launched a Coffee-Table Publication, a Postage Stamp, a Video Documentary, and a Public Exhibition featuring the 60 year journey, which were produced in partnership with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media, and Muslim Religious Affairs and Posts.
Heads of United Nations Agencies in Sri Lanka and Heads and Representatives from the Diplomatic Missions in Sri Lanka also participated in the event.
