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Kaduwela MC opens USAID backed plastic recycling centre

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The Kaduwela Municipal Council opened the first of four Plastic Recycling Centres at 567/3, Yashodara Mawatha, Dedigamuwa as a pilot to improve standards in plastic waste collection and apply environment, health, and safety best practices. 

The Plastic Recycling Centres, supported under United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Clean Cities Blue Ocean activity will sort, clean, and bale or crush large quantities of plastic in the municipal areas for commercial recycling.

“The Plastic Recycling Center is a significant step towards strengthening the role of informal waste collectors through a plastic recycling model developed to increase the recycling rate”, said Douglas Sonnek, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Colombo. “During the U.S.-Sri Lanka 75-year partnership, we have supported such interventions, contributing towards the transformation of discarded plastics into valuable resources, as well as education and researching, and the engagement of local communities in the waste management process”, he said.

USAID support provided essential machinery and equipment, including a crusher and baler machine, to the recycling center among other equipment, such as a scale, trolley, and jumbo collection bags. The workers also received safety equipment such as first aid kits, personal protective equipment, and fire extinguishers.

“Collecting and recycling waste is a service to the environment as well as to people to reduce the damage caused by improper waste disposal to the environment. I am very glad that I can contribute to this service with the support of USAID CCBO and Janathakshan”, said Krishantha Vidanagama, Managing Director, Green Step Private Limited.

This model piloted in the Kaduwela Municipal area will be replicated in Galle in the coming months to promote sustainable waste management, foster the integration of informal waste collectors into a formal system, and create a cleaner and more environmentally-friendly country. “Investment in recycling gives double dividends. On one hand, it improves the economy of the country by saving the expenditure on plastic material importation while creating employment opportunities for marginalized communities. On the other hand, it reduces the negative impacts on the sensitive ecosystems by diverting the plastic waste which will otherwise be added to the environment for recycling”, said Anil Jasinghe, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment.

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UN Rights chief türk to visit Sri Lanka this month

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The United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk will visit
Sri Lanka this month or early July, a Foreign Ministry source confirmed. No dates have been finalised for the visit, though the government has agreed to the visit by Mr. Turk.

It’ll be the first time in nine years that a UN Human Rights Commissioner will be visiting Sri Lanka, the last being Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in February 2016 during Maithripala Sirisena’s presidencyMr. Turk, an Austrian national who took up his duties in October 2022, will visit at a time the government grapples with how it will address human rights concerns raised by the international

community.

In his report to the UN body in August last year, just ahead of
Sri Lanka’s presidential and parliamentary elections, Mr. Turk said the newly elected government should recommit to addressing the root causes of conflict and undertake fundamental constitutional and institutional reforms to address the accountability gap and work towards reconciliation.

These include the immediate moratorium on the Prevention of Terrorism Act and assurances that any replacement legislation is consistent with international human rights law, repeals or amends existing laws or proposed laws that unduly restrict the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, association, and peaceful assembly, including the Online Safety Act and the ICCPR Act.

Mr. Turk’s predecessor Michelle Bachelet requested a visit to
Sri Lanka, but the matter was put under consideration, and the visit did not materialise.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) set up the Sri Lanka accountability project, an external evidence-gathering mechanism within the OHCHR, during Ms Bachelet’s period in office, a move strongly opposed by the government.

The OHCHR says that as of July 5, 2024, the repository established within the framework of the OHCHR project comprises 96,215 items and contains information from more than 470 different sources (more than 220 witnesses and 250 organisations), including international and multilateral organisations.

Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who addressed the high-level segment of the UNHRC in March this year, rejected the OHCHR Sri Lanka project and outlined government plans for a credible and sound domestic process to address accountability issues in the country.

“We will ensure that the domestic mechanisms and processes established to address challenges emanating from the conflict will continue their work in an independent and credible manner within the constitutional framework,” the minister told the UNHRC.

Despite a visit by the Human Rights Commissioner, the government will remain opposed to any international legal options to advance accountability in Sri Lanka and maintain that there are adequate domestic mechanisms to address accountability issues.

(sundaytimes.lk)

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Trade unionist Ranjan Jayalal takes helm as Kaduwela Mayor

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Prominent trade union leader Ranjan Jayalal has officially been appointed as the new Mayor of the Kaduwela Municipal Council.

Jayalal, a key member of the Ceylon Electricity Board Employees’ Union and a strong advocate for labor rights, was nominated by the National People’s Power (NPP) following their recent victory at the local government elections.

His appointment was formally confirmed through the government gazette issued by the Election Commission on May 31.

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Sri Lanka must take practical steps to join BRICS – Russian Ambassador

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If Sri Lanka is interested in joining the BRICS alliance, the country must take practical steps, says the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Levan S. Jagaryan.

Speaking during an event at the Bandaranaike International Centre for International Studies in Colombo, Ambassador Levan S. Jagaryan said Russia and China have been offering support to Sri Lanka, but he has not seen adequate interests from the Sri Lankan side.

Responding to a question raised by a journalist about Sri Lanka joining BRICS, the Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka said, he has been questioned about the matter on several occasions.

Ambassador Levan S. Jagaryan said, “Last October, on the 1st, I met with President Anura Kumar Dissanayake and brought with me an invitation letter from the President of Russia, inviting Sri Lanka to participate in the BRICS summit. I spoke with a language interpreter, but I don’t know if the translation was accurate. The President told me that due to the upcoming general elections, he wouldn’t be able to visit Russia. If Sri Lanka is to join BRICS, it’s not just a matter of Russia; all the member countries need to agree, and there are several steps to take before that happens.”

Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jagaryan stated that he has not seen much interest at the moment and therefore requested Sri Lanka to take some practical steps, if it is serious about joining BRICS.

(adaderana.lk)
(This story, originally published by adaderana.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

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