Wednesday 14th December 2022

09.00 - 11.30 hours

Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies

      

 The National Planning Department, in partnership with the Sustainable Development Council of Sri Lanka and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) convened a National Policy Dialogue on Securing inclusive and Green Economic Recovery and Development in Sri Lanka on Wednesday 14th December 2022. The event was co-chaired by Mr. Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Treasury and Ms. Hanna Singer, UN Resident Coordinator for Sri Lanka. The aim of the Policy Dialogue was to discuss public policy options that help Sri Lanka build forward better highlighting a pathway towards more inclusive and greener economy, economic recovery programmes and the potential impacts of various policy initiatives on long-term economic, social and environmental outcomes.  

 Commencing the session, Secretary to the Treasury and Chairman of the Sustainable Development Council, Mr. Mahinda Siriwardena highlighted the macro-economic, fiscal and monetary policy reforms initiated by the Government that would help the country to be more resilient to future shocks, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable. 

 The event included a presentation on a set of preliminary findings of a macroeconomic modeling study conducte d by Dr. Vatcharin Sirimaneetham of UNESCAP examining the potential long-term economic, social and environmental impacts of selected policy scenarios in Sri Lanka to foster an SDG-centric economic recovery and public debt sustainability. 

 The presentation was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Mr. Priyantha Ratnayake, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury. Panelists representing the Department of National Planning, Fiscal Policy Department, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development Council and Institute of Policy Studies were invited to share their views on the findings of the study as well as various policy initiatives/ plans, medium to long-term policies under the purview of each agency that help Sri Lanka to secure more inclusive, resilient and greener development. 

 The Policy Dialogue was attended by officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies (representing relevant Treasury departments), Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Finance Commission, Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development Council and other government institutions, the European Union to Sri Lanka, Asian Development Bank, World Bank and UN Agencies.