Addressing the ceremony the Minister said that our ancestors have not consumed environmental resources considering economical facts or benefits but in a sustainable manner. The Minister pointed out how under British Colonial rule commercialism affected the country's environment. Furthermore, by the energy based life style occurred with the prevalence of industrialism and commercialism,  threats to sustainability of natural resources and environmental components have severely increased said the Minister. Thereby, the tendency for inbalance in the environmental systems, climate change and natural hazards have increased, The Minister emphasized.

As a country Sri Lanka continues to be an active country in the phasing out of ozone depleting substances and is well ahead of developing countries in fulfilling the Protocol said the Minister.

The Minister while reiterating that Sri Lanka has taken many steps to protect the Ozone Layer said the establishment of the National Ozone Unit in 1994 is one of them, and action has already been taken to minimize economical activities that cause greenhouse effects.
 
The Minister further said that climate changes occur before the predicted period because of the increased greenhouse gas emission. Therefore it is important to prepare a sustainable energy consuming method in line with environmental conservation.
 
South Asian Ozone Officers Network Meeting is organized by the United Nations Environment programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the National Ozone Unit of the Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy. Delegates of the UN Environment Programme, UN Development Fund and 20 Asian countries participated in the meeting.