Lanka ratifies landmark ILO convention on workplace violence

Sri Lanka has formally ratified the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190), becoming the 55th member of the International Labour Organisation to do so, the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva said in a statement on Saturday (18).

The statement said: On 16 April 2026, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka deposited the instrument of ratification of the Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) with the International Labour Office.

Sri Lanka is the 55th Member State of the International Labour Organisation to ratify Convention No.190.

In depositing the instrument of ratification, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva, Sumith Dassanayake, stated that Sri Lanka’s ratification demonstrates the Government’s commitment to respect, promote, and realise the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment. He further noted that Sri Lanka will take steps to introduce necessary legal provisions by amending existing labour laws to implement the Convention.

In receiving the instrument of ratification, the Director-General of the International Labour Organisation, Gilbert F. Houngbo, stated that Sri Lanka’s ratification reaffirms its commitment to dignity, equality, and respect in the world of work and marks a significant step towards a future that is free from violence and harassment, ensuring safe and healthy working environments. He also conveyed the readiness of the ILO to support the Government and social partners in aligning national legal and institutional frameworks with the Convention.

Convention No. 190 is the first international instrument to establish a clear and comprehensive framework for preventing and addressing violence and harassment in the world of work, including gender-based violence and harassment. Together with Recommendation No. 206, it provides an integrated and gender-responsive approach to protecting all workers and other persons in the world of work, setting out practical measures for implementation.

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Advisors kept Trump out of Situation Room during high-stakes Iran operation

Donald Trump was allegedly locked out of the Situation Room during a high-stakes rescue mission to extract a downed US airman from Iran, with senior administration officials reportedly fearing his temperament could jeopardise the operation.

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From Nuwara Eliya to Dubai: Isha Holdings markets Agri products abroad

In a bid to bring foreign exchange to up country and strengthen the local economy, a diversified young entrepreneur from Nuwara Eliya, R. Thilagan, has opened his first international branch office in Dubai to market Sri Lankan coir and vegetable products.

In addition, he plans to export Sri Lankan gems and value-added diamonds to the Dubai market through this regional office.

Thilagan, Founder and Chairman of Isha Holdings International, said his family has been involved in the vegetable business, furniture and trading in Nuwara Eliya for decades.

“In a bid to bring FOREX to our company and the Nuwara Eliya region, while also providing better income for local farmers, I started a new agri initiative to value-add vegetables such as capsicum, carrot, leeks, beans, brinjals, broccoli, potatoes and onions. These are cleaned, processed, and packaged in ready-to-cook form for leading catering houses and food supply companies in Colombo. The products are processed at my Good Food Products factory in Labukele, Nuwara Eliya,” he said.

Following positive customer feedback, Thilagan expanded the operation under his new company brand, Good Food Products, to Dubai by opening the first regional office and commencing exports. “We have tied up with leading distributors in Dubai, and our products are now much sought after in supermarket chains,” he added.

In addition to vegetables, Thilagan has invested in local coir manufacturers and set up joint ventures to export coir-based products to Dubai. The Dubai office has also partnered with UAE horticulture supply companies to distribute coir products to hotels, businesses and homes.

“Thanks to the quality of locally value-added vegetables and coir products, both verticals have been very successful, and demand is growing. We hope to expand to other countries,” he said, noting that further expansion plans are temporarily on hold due to the ongoing war situation.

Thilagan also shared that the company has obtained a gem license to export Sri Lankan gems and jewellery to Dubai and entered joint ventures with two gem marketing companies in Kandy. Plans are underway for another joint venture to value and export diamonds to Dubai, with contacts established at the Dubai Gem and Diamond Exchange.

Beyond agriculture and gems, Thilagan, a founding director of Greentel Mobile Phones, said the company will now aggressively expand its mobile portfolio. “We have already imported Greentel Tabs and will soon bring other accessories to Sri Lanka,” he noted, as the brand gains recognition and growing demand.

By Hiran H. Senevirathne 

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Five consecutive years as a Company with Great Managers

Union Assurance, Sri Lanka’s longest-standing private Life Insurer, was honoured as a ‘Company with Great Managers’ for fifth consecutive year at the CLA Great Managers Awards 2025, held at Cinnamon Grand Colombo. Presented annually by the Colombo Leadership Academy & CLA Coaching Inc, the award affirms that Union Assurance’s approach to leadership excellence is not episodic, but deeply embedded across the Company.

The CLA Great Managers Awards programme, powered by Colombo Leadership Academy & CLA Coaching Inc. in strategic partnership with People Business, The Culture Factor Group – Hofstede & Onehub, is regarded as the international benchmark for assessing managerial and leadership effectiveness in Sri Lanka. Using the scientifically grounded D-ACTI 5X meta-analysis framework, the programme evaluates managers across five leadership pillars: Driving Results & Execution Excellence, Aligning Organizational Vision, Coaching & Developing Others for Growth, Building Team Effectiveness & Collaboration & Leadership Integrality & Holistic Approach.

Reflecting the depth and diversity of managerial capability within the organisation, five Union Assurance leaders were individually recognised across distinct award categories this year. Sashika Perera, Senior Manager – Statutory Reporting & Taxation, and Ishanthi Umedha, Head of Governance & Valuation, were recognised for ‘Demonstration of Well-Rounded Performance and Managerial Effectiveness.

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Sailing between Scylla and Charybdis

Friday 17th April, 2026

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is reported to have told his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in a telephone conversation, that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is a unanimous demand from the international community. He has stressed that Iran’s sovereignty, security, and legitimate rights should be respected as a littoral state of the Strait of Hormuz, but the freedom of navigation and safety through the strait should be ensured. One cannot but agree with the Chinese Foreign Minister.

A prolonged closure of the Hormuz Strait will only aggravate global economic woes and therefore be counterproductive. Tehran has a lot to gain on the diplomatic front; even some staunch allies of the US have taken exception to US-Israeli military aggression against Iran. It ought to take the shifting dynamics of the conflict into consideration and change its strategy accordingly.

The Chinese Foreign Minister has rightly noted that the current situation has reached a critical juncture between war and peace and the window of peace is opening. Iran must seize this opportunity. Araghchi has informed Wang Yi that his country is willing to continue to seek a rational and realistic solution through peaceful negotiations. It is hoped that the fragile ceasefire will be extended, and Pakistan will be able to bring the warring sides to the negotiating table again and help work out a compromise formula.

The US has imposed a naval blockade on Iran, targeting ships that enter or leave the Iranian ports, especially though the Hormuz Strait, through which about 20% of world oil supply passes. It has already turned back several ships that sought to enter Iran. Ironically, the US is doing what it has condemned Iran for—restricting international navigation through the Hormuz Strait. With its naval blockade, Washington is likely to incur more international opprobrium. It still has no way of forcing Iran to allow all ships to sail through the strategic chokepoint freely. However, the US naval blockade is likely to have a crippling impact on Iranian oil exports. With both Iran and the US using the Strait of Hormuz as a strategic lever, the countries that have nothing to do with the conflict have to sail between Scylla and Charybdis in the Gulf region.

Some experts are of the view that the China-Iran railway will help mitigate the impact of the US naval blockade and counter Washington’s efforts to isolate China and Iran, but this option could give rise to unforeseen logical and geopolitical issues.

About one-third of global seaborne trade in fertiliser reportedly passes through the Strait of Hormuz. The Gulf countries are key producers of nitrogen fertilisers. They also manufacture about 20% of phosphate fertilisers and 25% of global Sulphur. Urea prices have increased by 25% in the US, and the American Farm Bureau Federation has written to President Donald Trump, warning that production shocks will threaten national food security. The situation is far worse in the developing world. Sri Lanka is running out of its fertiliser stocks, and farmers are up in arms. Máximo Torero, the Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, has warned that the ongoing disruption to the Strait of Hormuz trade corridor has triggered “one of the most severe shocks to global commodity flows in recent years, with significant implications for food security, agricultural production, and global markets”.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is playing politics with its national energy conservation strategy amidst a global crisis while all other countries are strictly enforcing regulations in place to curtail fuel consumption. The suspension of the QR-based fuel quota system on account of the traditional New Year celebrations must have led to a huge increase in fuel consumption for non-essential purposes, as evident from the record revenue from the expressways. What should have been done was to increase the fuel quota instead of suspending the rationing system so that the public would be compelled to consume fuel sparingly during the festive season. The West Asian conflict is far from over, and the crisis management strategies must not be compromised.

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Largest US aircraft carrier erupts in 'mystery fire' as Iran chaos escalates

Three American sailors were injured in a fire aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower whilst undergoing maintenance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia.

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Trump undermined by his own Navy over Hormuz blockade - 'prepare to be boarded'

US forces have ordered ships in the Strait of Hormuz to 'prepare to be boarded' - even as the President claims he is 'permanently opening' the strait.

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