Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath held talks with UN Assistant Secretary-General Kanni Wignaraja to explore expanded collaboration between Sri Lanka and UNDP across multiple development sectors.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath met with Kanni Wignaraja, the UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Director, to discuss areas of mutual cooperation and development support. Wignaraja holds the highest position of any Sri Lankan national currently working within the United Nations system.
During the meeting, both officials examined the United Nations Development Programme's existing support framework for Sri Lanka. According to the Foreign Minister, the discussions centered on the government's strategic priorities, including its digitalization initiatives, expansion of renewable energy capacity, and efforts to enhance skills development and workforce capacity building across the nation.
Climate financing emerged as another significant topic of conversation. The officials explored various innovative financial mechanisms available to support Sri Lanka's climate commitments, including climate credits, green bonds, and blue bonds alongside other creative funding solutions. Beyond environmental concerns, the talks also identified health and tourism as critical sectors where future partnership opportunities could be developed and strengthened between the nation and UNDP.
