UN General Assembly
2019

There can be no development without peace. Peace is a catalyst for stability, inclusiveness and socioeconomic growth. For nearly 30 years, Sri Lanka was one of world’s worst-affect countries in terms of separatist terrorism, long before the fight against terrorism became an international buzz phrase. With the defeat of terrorism in Sri Lanka in 2009, we experienced an unprecedented peace dividend for nearly a decade. However, on 21 April — Easter Sunday — this peace was shattered by a heinous terrorist attack in Sri Lanka, which took the lives of more than 250 of our citizens and foreign nationals and injured hundreds more.