Sri Lanka’s candidate Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam has been elected to the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW).
A seven-member committee was appointed at an election held on Tuesday (27 June), at the UN Headquarters in New York, with Ambassador Kariyawasam being elected together with six other candidates from Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Turkiye, Mexico and Burkina Faso.
Former Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Kariyawasam is a retired career diplomat and has previously served in the Committee three times, during which he was also the Chairperson during the Committee’s initial formative stages.
The CMW is a body comprising of 14 independent experts that works to protect the rights of migrant workers around the world and monitors the implementation of the Convention, an important International Human Rights Treaty.
In the post pandemic context, and the prevailing global economic situation, migrant workers are facing enormous challenges while contributing to the growth of economies across the world.
Thus, the nomination of a candidate to the Committee by Sri Lanka is an endorsement of the country’s commitments to protecting and promoting rights of migrant workers.
