The representative of Sri Lanka pointed out that many developing countries face a debt crisis that prevents their sustainable development.  “It is a fact that financing challenges remain at the heart of the sustainable-development crisis,” he said, calling for reform of the global financial architecture and a more equitable way to address debt.  Sri Lanka — an island nation — faces the additional threat of sea-level rise and, though the country has its own mitigation plan in place, only concerted international action can halt the underlying cause of global warming.  Oceans, he added, should be free from geopolitical rivalry and pollution.  For its part, Sri Lanka remains committed to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which respects the sustainable use of oceans and the sovereignty of coastal States.  Finally, stating that developing countries will become tomorrow’s leading economies, he called for bolstered South-South cooperation which, though not a substitute for the Global North’s responsibilities under the Paris Agreement, can foster “sustainable development among us”.