US Special Rep for racial equity and justice in town

US Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice Desirée Cormier Smith will travel to Sri Lanka 11 to 15 December, making stops in Colombo, Nuwara Eliya, and Kandy. This will be her first trip to South Asia in this role.

Throughout the week, Special Representative Cormier Smith will meet with Malaiyaha Tamils, civil society groups, and Government officials to reiterate US Government support to help advance the human rights of members of marginalised ethnic communities in Sri Lanka. Special Representative Cormier Smith will participate in the launch of the US Embassy’s English Access Scholarship Program in Nuwara Eliya, a State Department-funded global program that provides a foundation of English language skills to bright, economically disadvantaged students. She will also present awards to 25 students who successfully completed an intensive three-month bootcamp dedicated to content creation. This initiative aims to equip youth from the Malaiyaha Tamil community with new job skills to enhance their economic opportunities.