UN Assistant Secretary General, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Ms. Kanni Wignaraja met with the Sri Lanka’s Minister of Finance, Basil Rajapakse this morning (13).  

Ms. Kanni Wignaraja conveyed UNDP’s global and country offer, and its experience on innovative development financing and SDG-aligned budgeting, the UNDP said in a release.

The Director General of the Department of External Resources Mr. Ajith Abeysekera and representatives from UNDP in Sri Lanka also participated in the discussion. 

ASG Kanni Wignaraja had arrived in Sri Lanka today (December 13) for a five-day official visit to the island.

She is visiting Sri Lanka with the aim of better understanding country priorities and exploring new avenues of support from UNDP to Sri Lanka—particularly focusing on follow up to the recently concluded UN Climate Change Conference COP26, post-COVID-19 socio-economic recovery in the region, and leveraging of more development financing to the country.

The official visit will focus on the human development agenda and the acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also given COVID-19 socio-economic impacts, while importantly celebrating the human development achievements of Sri Lanka.

During her visit, ASG Wignaraja will meet with high-level government officials and other partners, and having a first-hand look at some of UNDP supported work on the ground.