Addressing the Foundation Council, Ambassador Aryasinha recalled the long relationship between the GCSP and Sri Lanka and expressed hope that Sri Lanka’s membership in the Foundation Council would contribute to further enhance such engagement in the future. While thanking the GCSP for the opportunities it has provided for Sri Lankan participants including members of the Mission in Geneva to attend GCSP programs, Ambassador Aryasinha noted that Sri Lanka is committed to contribute to the furtherance of GCSP’s reach, by providing a platform in Colombo for hosting programs in cooperation with the Government, with a view to reaching out to the Asian region. In this regard he referred to the upcoming International Defense Attache Seminar to be organized by the GCSP in December 2016, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense and the Kotelawala Defence University in Colombo.  

Ambassador Christian Dussey, the Director of the GCSP noted that in 2016 the GCSP conducted 40 courses, which involved 720 participants belonging to 109 nationalities, an increase by 15% from last year. This included 15 new courses in 2016. He further noted that the ‘Defence Attache Programme’ to be held shortly in Colombo is part of the GCSP’s outreach program, and that the Seminar in Colombo would be the first to be held by the GCSP in the South and East Asia region.  

The GCSP is an international foundation established in 1995, which focuses on promoting peace, security and stability through education, research and dialogue. The institute offers training courses throughout the year, to government officials, diplomats, military officers, international civil servants and NGO staff in the field of international peace and security. Sri Lanka joins 48 other Member States and the Canton of Geneva in overseeing the work and guiding the strategy of the GCSP.