As the primary initiative of WICPER, the aim of these workshops is to train future leaders in the concept that they have duties to the community, to the environment and to future generations. The concept of trusteeship is emphasized to bring home to them the notion of responsible management of our inherited culture and resources for the benefit of those who are to come after us.
The Cultural Evening of the Training for Trusteeship Workshop highlights the richness and diversity of various cultures. This is achieved by a charity concert consisting of several acts by local performers.
The Centre plans for a Peace University in Sri Lanka for students from all the member states of the United Nations.
The booklet titled “The World Court, Its Conception, Constitution and Contribution”, authored by Judge Weeramantry was published to celebrate the launch of the Centre on 24 April 2002. 500 copies of this book were presented to schools through the Education Ministry and are currently being translated into Sinhala and Tamil.
Dr. Arthur Eyffinger the foremost living authority on the work of Grotius delivered a key note lecture on
“ The Contribution of Grotius to the Origin and Evolution of Roman Dutch Law” on 30th July 2002, Colombo.
Hugo Grotius- “Father of International Law”
The Centre has assisted in reviewing a peace education manual for peace education teachers on the invitation of Caritas Sri Lanka July 2002, Colombo Sri Lanka.
The Centre organised a major seminar on Truth and Reconciliation - the South African Experience at the Holiday Inn Hotel which was attended by over two hundred persons including members of the Diplomatic Corps, Military Forces, Police and the general public.
The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission has great relevance to Sri Lanka and the current peace process. A very useful discussion followed the presentation. The main speakers, who came to Sri Lanka especially to address the seminar were Professor Winston Nagan, who has direct experience of the South African Commission and Dr. Arthur Eyffinger, the eminent legal historian from Holland, who gave a historical panorama of peace and reconciliation down the ages.
Public lectures have been arranged under the auspices of the Centre to promote cultural awareness and understanding, as for example a lecture to the Dutch Burgher Union by Dr. Arthur Eyffinger on the History of the Dutch East India Company. The lecture was arranged in connection with the ceremonies commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Dutch arrival in Sri Lanka.
The Centre in association with the International Committee of the Red Cross organised a seminar in Colombo on International Humanitarian law and the input of the major religions into international law.
The Seminar was addressed on special aspects of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam by four speakers who have specialised in these fields. Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne winner of the Gandhi Peace prize and also the winner of the Magsaysay Prize spoke on Buddhism. Dr. Arthur Eyffinger the former Chief Librarian of the International Court of Justice spoke on Christianity, Judge C.V. Wigneswaran, a Judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka spoke on Hinduism and Mr. Saleem Marsoof P.C. Additional Solicitor General spoke on Islam. There was an attendance of over three hundred persons. The seminar was an important contribution to the enrichment of international humanitarian law through cross-cultural perspectives.
In recognition of the importance of this seminar the proceedings were published in the Sri Lanka Journal of International Law and also in the magazine of the Peace Unit of the Education Department.
A seminar was organised at the Hotel Galadari in association with the Bar Association of Sri Lanka on the theme of nuclear weapons. It was an interdisciplinary seminar conveying both legal and scientific information and was addressed on legal aspects by Judge Weeramantry and Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala the Former
Under Secretary General for Disarmament of the United Nations and on the scientific aspects by Professor Osmund Jayaratne retired professor of Physics and former President of the Colombo
campus and Dr. Rosa a specialist in nuclear physics. The interest of the occasion was heightened by a donation of posters and films by the Mayor of Hiroshima. It was attended by over two hundred
persons from all walks of life. An attractive booklet on the Conference proceedings has being prepared for world wide circulation.
The Centre has offered prizes for the best essay (Rs. 30,000 at university level and Rs. 20,000 at school level) on cross cultural human rights. In 2003 the prize giving was presided over by his Excellency the Ambassador of Japan. The prize winning essay at university level has been published in the Sri Lanka Journal of International Law.
In association with the South Asia Institute of the University of Heidelberg the Centre is organising an intensive week long work shop for forty young graduates drawn from all the universities of Sri Lanka who will be instructed on all aspects of peace studies. Each participant will be asked to carry the message to six groups of forty students each.
Jointly authored by Judge Weeramantry and Dr. Arthur Eyffinger, the former Chief Librarian of the International Court of Justice and one of the world’s leading authorities on the history of peace, this project is well under way. Its objective is to produce an attractive illustrated book which could be used by schools throughout the world.
Five hundred copies of the above publication were distributed free to five hundred schools in Sri Lanka.
Translations of the above are being done made into Sinhala and Tamil.
In Association with Rotaract club the Centre has provided sessions on peace studies for school prefects and school leaders. Judge Weeramantry has addressed a meeting of around 50 school leaders at the Mt.Lavinia Hotel. He has also addressed plenary sessions of Rotary International on the theme of carrying peace studies to school leaders.
The Centre prepares illustrated booklets containing much information on Peace related matters The World Court: Its Conception, Constitution and Contribution. These are written at a level readily understood by children of the ages of fifteen and sixteen.
Work has commenced with the Ministry of Education especially with the Ministry’s Peace Education Department to promote human rights and peace education within schools. As a preliminary project Judge Weeramantry addressed over 400 School Principals and Education Officials at the Education Ministry on 20th July 2002 on the importance of including peace education in the school curriculum. A sequel to this seminar is being organized where the target audience would consist of students of schools and institutions of higher education.
Youth camp for fifty, (50) children from multi-ethnic and multi-religious backgrounds was organised in association with the Institute of Integral Education, Piliyandala August 2002.
Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim children were taught about each other’s cultural traditions for two days, placed in each other’s houses for five days and brought together again for two days. This was a great success and the children have expressed the view that they are friends for life.
On 28th June 2007 there was an annual meeting of ANZSIL held in Canberra. Judge Weeramantry delivered the Keynote address on Restoring the Rule of Law in International Affairs.
On 23rd April 2007 the launch took place of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons in Australia. The Meeting was held in Parliament House Melbourne and the Keynote Speech was delivered by Judge Weeramantry on the “Legal and Moral Imperatives for Nuclear Abolition”. He also spoke on the growing Nuclear Threat.
The Medical Faculty of Harvard University has been in the vanguard of research on xeno-transplantation – the transplantation of animal organs into human bodies to meet the shortage of organs from human donors.
The Centre collaborated with the International Committee of the Red Cross in organizing a seminar on Customary International Humanitarian Law on 1st December 2006, at the Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo.
The World Future Council based in Germany, of which Judge Weeramantry is a founding member, requested the Centre to conduct a study of the teachings of the great religions on the long-term human future.
The Centre has been in association with the Japanese Peace Boat which conducts voyages around the world based on the floating university concept.
The Centre was entrusted by US AID with research on a comparative study of the Anti Corruption legislation and institutional structure in Sri Lanka. Comparisons with other jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia were involved in this study.
The Centre was commissioned by the Sri Lanka Law Commission to research two neglected areas in the Justice System in Sri Lanka, namely the protection of witnesses and the rights of victims of crime.
