Ambassador & Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka attends 8th South and South-West Asia Forum on Sustainable Development in New Delhi

The Eighth South and South-West Asia Forum on Sustainable Development has taken place in New Delhi, India from 11th to 12th November 2024, co-hosted by the NITI Aayog of the Government of India and Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator, with a strong call for renewed commitment, accelerated efforts and innovative solutions to meet development ambitions. The Ambassador & Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in Bangkok, E.A.S. Wijayanthi Edirisinghe was invited to attend the forum.

The three-day Forum focused on five key SDGs – Goal 3 on health and well-being, Goal 5 on gender equality, Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth, Goal 14 on life below water, and Goal 17 on partnerships.

The Opening remarks were delivered by UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP) Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana and Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Suman Bery, Secretary General of the SAARC Secretariat Md. Golam Sarwar, UN Resident Coordinator, Shombi Sharp made special remarks at the forum.

The Ambassador and Permanent Representative shared Sri Lanka’s key breakthrough experiences, lessons learned, challenges faced, and the way forward to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In her statement, delivered at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (UN HLPF) in New York in 2022, she highlighted that “Sri Lanka has made significant progress towards the SDGs since its first Voluntary National Review (VNR) in 2018, despite the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Ambassador Edirisinghe Chair cum Moderator of the progress review on SDG 8 “Life below water” during the session 4 at the Forum.

The meeting was part of a series of five subregional forums, designed as a collaborative platform for governments, development partners, civil society, and other stakeholders to assess progress on the 2030 Agenda and identify actionable solutions. The insights and contributions from these subregional forums will inform the 12th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) and the global UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in 2025.

Embassy and Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka
Bangkok
15th November 2024