Colombo, Sri Lanka

A ceremony was held at the BMICH on May 20th, 2013 in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo for the honour of Irrigation and Water Resource Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva who completes 30 years in politics this year.

PGA Executive Board member, Dr. Yusuf Ziya İrbeç, attended the ceremony and read a Statement of PGA Secretary General Ms. Shazia Rafi during his speech to mark the occasion.

Statement of PGA Secretary-General, Ms. Shazia Rafi:

Hon. Nimal Sirpala de Silva, my sincerest apologies that I am unable to leave duties in New York to join in celebrating your extraordinary three decades representing your people in Sri Lanka's parliament and representing Sri Lanka on the world stage.

You steered your people through a very difficult peace negotiations, when those collapsed and ended in war, you were patient, and last year at your invitation PGA came to Sri Lanka to see the resulting peace. The last phase that of victory is the hardest, as it will require generosity, reconciliation and justice, which your colleagues in PGA know you will bring to the next challenge.

I want to thank you for the support you have always given to me, to the work on reproductive health and women's empowerment that we did together across South Asia. Your courage in bringing your delegation to the last conference in our series in Peshawar touched our hearts as many had canceled due to the threat of terrorism.

May the next decade of your political career working with PGA build peace, prosperity and healthy societies across South Asia. Shazia Z. Rafi, PGA Secretary-General

Dr. Irbec also had the opportunity to meet with the Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Hon. Professor Gamini Lakshman Peiris, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and many members of the Sri Lankan Cabinet as well as Hon. Naveed Syed Qamar, the former Minister of Defense of Pakistan.