Cultural ceremony marks opening of Youth Meeting

The colourful ceremony was hosted by the Minister of Youth Affairs, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, and attended by the country’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayake.

Ministers and delegates from around the Commonwealth, as well as young Sri Lankans watched music and dance performances, expressing the mixed cultural life of Sri Lanka.

Speeches during the ceremony stressed the importance of young people’s participation in peace-building, which is the theme of the 2008 conference.

Addressing his first ministerial meeting since taking office in April, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said that trying to better the lives of young people was one of his “absolute priorities”.

"In over 30 years of development work, I have become ever more conscious that neglecting young people is not an option, and indeed that to neglect them is fraught with a huge risk to our own future, in a rapidly changing world."

And he praised the achievements of the Commonwealth Youth Programme, which he described as “one of the most esteemed features of the respected and unique Commonwealth brand.”

Monday’s meeting started with opening remarks by Mr Sharma and the keynote address from Pregs Govender, the South African activist and author, followed by the presentation of case studies from Sri Lanka, Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific regions.

Click here for read the full text of the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s statement to the 7th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting

Key Links:

• Commonwealth Youth Programme
• Country Profile: Sri Lanka
• Commonwealth Secretary-General