Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has embarked to Italy for attending the G20 Interfaith Forum which will commence on Sunday. The Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the opening session of the forum which will be held at the University of Bologna.A statement from the Foreign Ministry issued on Thursday said Prime Minister Rajapaksa was accompanied by Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris and Foreign Secretary Admiral Jayanath Colombage, according to reports.

An official from the Prime Minister's office said that Rajapaksa will hold bilateral discussions with the Italian leaders and other world leaders on the sidelines of the forum. He will return to Sri Lanka on September 16 following the Forum's conclusion on September 14. Beginning in Australia in 2014, the G20 Interfaith Forum has convened annually in the G20 host country.

The G20 Interfaith Forum has considered wide-ranging agendas, including economic models and systems, the environment, women, families, children, work, humanitarian aid, health, education, freedom of religion or belief, global security, governance, human rights, and the rule of law. The Forums offers an annual platform where a network of religiously linked institutions and initiatives engage on global agendas (primarily and including the Sustainable Development Goals.

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