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Enhancing socio-ecological resilience in the Urban Wetlands of Colombo
The Small Grants Programme (SGP) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka last week commenced a project empowering communities in compiling the strategy for protecting the urban wetlands, flora and fauna of the Colombo landscape while contributing towards uplifting livelihoods for women, unemployed or underemployed of the wetland communities.
A UNDP release said: It is estimated that more than 54 per cent of the global population lives in cities. As cities get increasingly crowded, the space needed for expansion becomes the overriding consideration. Studies have illustrated that during the twentieth century, wetland extents declined by as much as 70 per cent globally and continue today.
Sri Lanka ratified the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1990, and in 2017 the parties to the Convention declared ‘Wetland City Accreditation’ for cities which are located near wetlands, to conserve and encourage the sustainable use of urban wetlands. Colombo is the only capital city among eighteen selected worldwide, and the only South Asian city to be declared a wetland city in 2018, breathing new life into the Colombo wetland conservation efforts.
The Small Grants Programme (SGP) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), has the overall goal of enabling community organizations to take action for adaptive landscape management and collective decision making to build socio-ecological resilience. Between 2017 and 2021 through its Sixth Operational Phase, GEF-SGP provided grants to 10 community organizations within the landscape to minimize further disturbance to wetland systems by human interventions, through a participatory, multi-stakeholder, landscape management modality, aimed at conserving biodiversity, optimizing ecosystem services, managing land (particularly agro ecosystems), water and mitigating climate change.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Environment stated, “The GEF-SGP approach looks at the landscape as a whole, and the preservation of the wetlands is done using the involvement of people themselves. Therefore, communities are empowered to conserve the environment while engaging in their livelihoods. However, if we don’t get communities living in the areas actively involved in the preservation of habitats while taking livelihoods forward, any work towards wetland preservation will not be successful.”
Currently, over six wetland sites are being developed in the Colombo Metropolitan Region, which covers an area of over 20 km2, amounting to 2.9% of its total land area. The Thalawathugoda wetlands, now known as ‘Diyasaru Park’, and the Beddagana wetlands, renamed ‘Bird Park’, are popular places of recreation for walking, bird watching and study tours. The historically important Thalangama Tank has nearly 180 farmers cultivating over 200 acres of paddy supported by the tank. Clearing and networking canals around the city and preserving land close to the city centre in Kotte, Rajagiriya and Kolonnawa are admirable attempts to conserve biodiversity with attention paid to the links between hydraulics and ecology allowing better protection of fragile wetland diversity.
Wanasarana Thurulatha Swechcha Society (WTSS), Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF), Emotional Intelligence and Life Skills Training Team (Gte) Ltd., (EILS), Surakshi GTE Ltd, Organization for Aquatic Resources Management (OARM), People to People Volunteers (P2P), Small Cat Advocacy and Research (SCAR), Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), Center for Sustainability, University of Sri Jayewardenepura (CFS/USJ), Human Development Foundation of Sri Lanka (HDFSL), were all grantees selected to carry out coordinated community projects in the landscape to generate ecological and socio-economic synergies that produce harmonized and long-lasting environmental benefits, increased social capital, and substantial benefits to local communities.
Congratulating the grantees on their success, Malin Herwig, Officer in Charge, UNDP in Sri Lanka noted, “This planet is our only home. It is vital we safeguard the health of its atmosphere, the richness and diversity of life on Earth, its ecosystems and its finite resources. UNDP is committed to leading these cooperative efforts, because the only way forward is to work with nature, and not against it. Sharing best practices on community-based approaches with the intention of further development and replication beyond its borders at forums such as this today, is an important step in looking beyond to ensure sustainability. Together we can ensure that our planet not only survives, but thrives, because we have Only One Earth.”
The initiatives implemented by the project have empowered communities in compiling the strategy for protecting the urban wetlands, flora and fauna of the Colombo landscape while contributing towards uplifting livelihoods for women, unemployed or underemployed of the wetland communities.
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
