News
Building disaster-resilient infrastructure through enhanced knowledge
Strengthening Irrigation sector in Sri Lanka to ensure appropriate disaster-resilient measures
Recognizing the necessity for greater investment in the planning process for disaster-resilient infrastructure across Asia and the Pacific, UNDP through its Regional Hub in Bangkok with the financial support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched the Project, ‘Resilient Infrastructure through Enhanced Knowledge’. The Project will build the capacity of selected infrastructure sectors in four countries; namely Sri Lanka, Armenia, Cambodia and Fiji; to ensure that appropriate disaster-resilient measures are defined and applied into pre-disaster preparation for recovery and post-disaster recovery efforts.
Considering the importance of water and food security, Sri Lanka has selected the Irrigation sector to develop a comprehensive country-specific disaster recovery framework under this project. The activities will concentrate on supporting Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) training to Government officials, utilizing contingency and recovery tools and plans, improve financial preparedness planning which will help to meet the resources required for disaster recovery and cover the additional costs of building forward better.
The Project is implemented in collaboration with the Disaster Management Center (DMC), the Department of National Planning, Department of National Budget and all stakeholder agencies in the Irrigation sector; including the Department of Irrigation, Department of Agrarian Development, 9 Provincial Departments of Irrigation and the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka.
The first training on Post Disaster Needs Assessment and Disaster Recovery Planning took place in Colombo recently, with over 63 participants from across the above stakeholders including Engineers, Planners, and Accountants. Speaking on the importance of such training Anoja Seneviratne, Director, Mitigation Research & Development, Disaster Management Centre said: “The Irrigation sector is one of the most important sectors in the country. Irrigation resilience is not only for water management, but also provides inputs for agricultural expansion, facilitates technological change and helps increase sectoral productivity and the GDP of the country…Introducing a disaster recovery framework will benefit the sector as it ensures recovery to build back faster and better. This workshop will be the first of such to brainstorm, share knowledge in damage & loss, and recovery in the sector following a more scientific way.” She went onto note, “This initial step will be foundational towards the country’s disaster resilience. I appreciate all the stakeholders for their engagement and appreciate UNDP and ADB’s support for a cleaner, greener and resilient Sri Lanka.”
In 2016 and 2017, UNDP in Sri Lanka coordinated the PDNAs on behalf of the UN system, and supported the Government of Sri Lanka, together with the European Union and the World Bank, to conduct a comprehensive assessment of Post Disaster Needs after the 2016 and 2017 flood and landslide disasters. The total estimated cost of damages and losses for irrigation infrastructure was LKR 2708 Million.
One of the major challenges identified in this assessment was the lack of baseline data and insufficient capacities to conduct PDNAs, and the need to establish an institutional framework for recovery.
This project will build the capacity of Sri Lankan Government officials and relevant stakeholders in the irrigation sector institutions and related partner agencies for disaster recovery in the long run, by adapting the PDNA and Disaster Recovery Framework (DRF) methodology for the irrigation sector including sector templates, developing SOPs by bringing together all relevant stakeholders to create a pool of experts in the sector.
Eng. V. Premakumar, Provincial Director Irrigation, Northern Province as a participant of the workshop stated, “This is a great opportunity for us, particularly for the young engineers that work on the ground in the Northern Province. There are 24 engineers in the Province, and it is essential that we continuously enhance their capacities to ensure that the key infrastructure upon which the communities depend on are disaster resilient. This has provided us with the opportunity to engage with and learn from esteemed sectoral experts, as well, and will surely contribute to the growth of our engineers and their knowledge on disaster-resilience.”
M A F Mubarak, Deputy Director, National Budget Department said: “As a part of the development of the Disaster Recovery Framework, we’re received technical support on financial preparedness planning and post disaster budget execution capabilities. Hence, this enables Sri Lanka to be ready to face any upcoming disaster events, which in turn will be helpful for the economy of the country.”
Speaking on UNDPs role of supporting disaster preparedness efforts, Vajira Hettige, Technical Coordinator- Climate and Environment Team, UNDP in Sri Lanka said: “This pre-disaster recovery planning in the irrigation sector is a unique opportunity, since post disaster recovery planning is usually ad-hoc in nature. Involvement of national planning and budget departments from the inception will support financial preparedness and identify new sources of risk financing, which will ultimately contribute towards expediting resilient recovery in the irrigation sector.”
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
