Sri Lanka showcased strong commitment to sustainable financing at the Fifth Session of the Committee on Macroeconomic Policy, Poverty Reduction and Financing for Development held in Bangkok.
The Fifth Session of the Committee on Macroeconomic Policy, Poverty Reduction and Financing for Development was held from 19-21 November 2025 at the Unite Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. The Session was opened by Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). During the opening session, special remarks were made by H.E. Ahmed Mazin, Minister of State for
Finance and Planning of Maldives, Mr. Benjarong Suwankiri, Vice-Minister of Finance of Thailand and the Secretary-General of UNCTAD. The meeting brought together key member States,
including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Türkiye, the United States of America, and Viet Nam, reflecting strong regional engagement in advancing inclusive and sustainable development financing.
Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bangkok Hosts “Sri Lanka: Your Next Best Destination”, Tourism Promotional Evening, to Mark the 70th Anniversary of Sri Lanka–Thailand Diplomatic Relations
The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bangkok in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and Sri Lankan Airlines, organized “Sri Lanka: Your Next Best Destination”, Tourism Promotional Evening, on 24 November 2025 at the Avani Riverside Hotel, Bangkok, to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Joining as a speaker at the Plenary Session on ‘Voices for Solutions to the Plastic Pollution Conundrum’ at the invitation of the UN Environment Regional Office in Bangkok, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to UNESCAP, Ambassador (Mrs.) Samantha K. Jayasuriya pledged on Sri Lanka’s continued commitment to encourage more private public partnerships and multi-stakeholder engagements for innovative solutions for plastic pollution, including producing micro filaments for cleaning tools, yarns for apparels such as the T20 Cricket Gear, Galle Dialogue T-Shirts from plastic wastes, promoting circular economy.
Ambassador Jayasuriya attended the networking breakfast earlier in the day with Helen Ågren, Ambassador for the Ocean, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the opening session of the Day – 4 which was graced by the H.E. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand, who shared insights on the urgency of addressing the marine plastic pollution and explained actions by Thailand.
Further speaking at the plenary session on voices for solutions to the plastic pollution conundrum, Ambassador Jayasuriya also said Sri Lanka will take action to fully implement the 2017 policy initiative of banning selected polythene and polythene products, and to expand the ‘Beach Park Programme’ currently covering 90 kms long stretch of beaches that was assigned to families living around, to clean and handover the plastic wastes to recyclers.
SEA of Solutions 2019 showcased 29 exhibitors, where Sri Lankan researcher from the Asian Institute of Technology, Dr. Kavinda Gunasekara displayed the ongoing project on developing plastic leakage scenarios in the Mekong River basin using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing technologies. A short video on the story of making the official jersey for Sri Lanka Cricket T- 20 out of the recycled marine plastic wastes by MAS Holdings (Eco Spindle), and the partnership with Sri Lanka Navy was also displayed at the exhibition. Ms. Saritha Ranatunga, Second Secretary coordinated Sri Lanka’s Participation at the pledging event with the support of the Marine Plastic Prevention Authority (MEPA) of Sri Lanka and the Ocean Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UNESCAP Bangkok
Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bangkok,Thailand.