Meaningful transformation requires patience, negotiation, and sustained public engagement: PM

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has attended the 2026 OSGA Annual Lecture held at the University of Oxford, where she delivered a lecture titled “The Politics of Development: Sri Lanka and Beyond.” 

The lecture was held on Tuesday (May 19) at the St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, and organized by the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies (OSGA), the department’s flagship annual event that brings together leading academics, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss contemporary global challenges, according to the Prime Minister’s Media Division.

Addressing an audience comprising students, academics, and researchers from across the University of Oxford, the Prime Minister reflected on the intersections of development, governance, and politics in Sri Lanka while discussing the broader realities faced by countries attempting to achieve meaningful social and economic reform.

During her lecture, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya emphasized that development cannot be understood only through policies, statistics, and economic models, but must also be viewed through the everyday lived experiences of people. 

She highlighted that governance often requires balancing ideals with practical realities, particularly in countries recovering from economic crises, institutional challenges, and long-standing inequalities. 

The Prime Minister also spoke extensively on women’s political participation and representation in Sri Lanka, noting the growing involvement of women in grassroots political movements and leadership spaces, the statement said. 

She reflected on the efforts taken to create greater political opportunities for women and the continuing challenges faced in transforming deeply rooted social and political structures. 

Speaking on economic recovery and social policy, Dr. Amarasuriya highlighted the importance of recognizing both paid and unpaid care work, stressing that the contribution of women to families, communities, and the economy has often remained invisible in traditional economic systems. 

She noted that sustainable development must ensure economic progress while also protecting dignity, fairness, and social well-being, the statement said. 

The Prime Minister further reflected on the relationship between governments, international development agencies, and local institutions, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that development priorities remain grounded in local realities and accountable to the people they are intended to serve. 

Drawing from her experiences as a social anthropologist, activist, academic, and political leader, Dr. Amarasuriya also discussed the challenges of translating activism and public movements into long-term policy reforms and institutional change. 

She noted that meaningful transformation requires patience, negotiation, and sustained public engagement. 

The lecture was followed by an interactive question-and-answer session with the audience, during which discussions focused on governance, institutional independence, political reform, economic recovery, and the challenges of balancing democratic accountability with policy implementation, it added.

Professor Diego Sanchez-Ancochea, Head of the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, commended the Prime Minister’s lecture, describing it as an important and timely reflection on the relationship between politics and development, informed by both scholarly insight and practical political experience, the PM’s Office said.