Rotary International conference highlights need to improve quality of lives

Rotary International District 3220 Conference 2024 brought together over 400 Rotarians from Sri Lanka and overseas, together with several distinguished invitees and speakers. 
The opening ceremony of the conference was held at the BMICH on April 26, in the presence of the chief guest, President Ranil Wickremesinghe and keynote speaker Government of Tamil Nadu Information Technology and Digital Services Minister Dr. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan. Guest of honour, Rotary International President Representative Per Hoyen also addressed the august gathering.
The opening ceremony was followed by the technical sessions, which were conducted at Monarch Imperial on April 27. The technical sessions comprised of several key addresses and discussions around Rotary’s core areas of focus, such as the empowerment of women, community and economic development, peacebuilding and conflict prevention and environment. 
The distinguished line-up of speakers, panellists and moderators included former UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy, National Peace Council of Sri Lanka Executive Director Jehan Perera, Women’s International Foundation Chair Seroshi D. Nandasiri, Kaleidoscope Co-Producer Savithri Rodrigo, Centre for Law and Security Studies Director Nilanthan Niruthan, Daham Pahana Founder Bro. Charles Thomas, Rotary International District 3300 Malaysia Past District Governor Dato Bindi Rajasegaran, Rotary International District 1470 Denmark Past District Governor Helge Andersen, JB Securities Ltd CEO Murtaza Jafferjee, Commercial Bank Managing Director/CEO Sanath Manatunge and Cargills Bank Ltd Deputy Chairman
Asoka Pieris. 

District Governor 2023/2024 Jerome Rajendram stated that the conference was an occasion for all Rotarians to celebrate the good that Rotary as an organisation has done to benefit communities and create hope for Sri Lanka over the past 95 years.
Rotary International is a worldwide network comprising 1.2 million corporate leaders in over 200 countries, dedicated to causes that improve the quality of lives and create a better world. Rotary educates and equips communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases like polio, HIV/AIDS and malaria, whilst also improving and expanding access to low-cost and free healthcare in developing areas around the world and is the only service organisation in the world to be afforded a permanent seat in the United Nations for its role in promoting peace and goodwill among nations.
Rotary International District 3220 Sri Lanka and Maldives is a network comprising over 2,100 Rotarians, 8,000 Rotaractors and 7,000 Interactors. Since its inception in 1929, Rotary International District 3220 Sri Lanka and Maldives has worked on several key community, social and economic development projects, including the successful eradication of polio in Sri Lanka, rebuilding of 24 schools following the 2004 tsunami, provision of the Human Heart Valve Bank at Lady Ridgeway Hospital, development of the Centre for Handicapped in Kandy, provision of Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants in the dry zone and gifting of the digital mammography system to the Cancer Early Detection Centre in Narahenpita, to name a few.