25 October 2014 08:58 am
It said he would remain in the country till Wednesday (29).
He is to brief President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is the current Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, on the achievement of objectives and implementation of work set at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka in November 2013.
The Secretary-General will also meet other members of the Government of Sri Lanka, including the Minister of External Affairs, Professor G L Peiris.
During his five-day visit, the Secretary-General will also review the implementation of various initiatives being undertaken as part of his Good Offices work to support Sri Lanka's national development and post-conflict plans, and will take the opportunity to meet with the Chairperson and Commissioners of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka; the Commissioner of Elections; and, representatives of civil society organisations.
Mr Sharma will travel to the Northern Province for the first time as Secretary-General where he will spend the day in and around Jaffna to review first-hand post-conflict developments, current priorities and ongoing challenges.