Sri Lanka, July 17 -- The World Youth Skills Day was celebrated around the world on July 15. This day was established on December 18, 2014 by General Assembly resolution A/RES/69/145 which was initiated by Sri Lanka. The allocation of a specific day by the UN to highlight the need for enhanced youth skills was a major success for Sri Lanka at the world body since the normal experience of Sri Lanka in the West was to be subjected to endless barrages of accusations relating to war crimes and human rights violations. For once, Sri Lanka was being recognized for a different reason following a controlled use of soft power.

Following a lengthy consultation process, at the UN and outside, during which some delegations, including some Europeans ...