Mr Ban arrived on Wednesday evening to Sri Lanka, following a visit to Myanmar to embark on his visit of the island. 

As he visited the UN office, Sinhala protesters gathered outside, condemning the UN's push for accountability for mass atrocities committed during the final stages of the armed conflict. 

He held talks with the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday evening shortly after arriving. An official press release said the two "exchanged views on the status of development in areas of deepening democratic governance, delivering the transitional justice agenda and promoting economic development".

On Thursday the Secretary General met with Sri Lanka's president Maithripala Sirisena, and the foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera. During his meeting with Mr Sirisena, he "pledged his continued support to Sri Lanka’s broad and impressive reform agenda, including to the reconciliation, transitional justice and peacebuilding processes," before going on to call for "increased momentum in these important areas".

"The Secretary-General appreciated the progress made by Sri Lanka," said a press release. "He noted that much remains to be done and offered the United Nations continued support to the country’s efforts."

Mr Ban also addressed a youth event in Galle where he called on the youth to work towards reconiliation. "Most of you were born and lived your early lives during conflict, terror and displacement," he told the audience. "Many of you suffered deprivations and injustice. Involvement in peacebuilding, reconciliation and post-conflict transformation provide an opportunity to emerge from this trauma to play a part in creating a better future."

See the full text of his remarks here.

The Secretary-General is due to visit the Tamil North-East during his visit, where he will meet with political leaders. Tamil victims of the conflict also hope to meet Mr Ban, whose visit has raised hopes of achieving justice for decades of human rights violations.

"If we have a chance to talk to him, we'll tell what happened to my husband," Easwary Mariyathas, a mother of three, whose husband was arrested by the Sri Lankan navy in 2009, told Reuters. "I am pressurised to accept death certificate. We want justice, we expect a definite reply. I want to tell the truth to my kids. I can't cheat them saying their dad will come tomorrow and day after tomorrow."