News
Platform for greater citizen engagement and effective action on illegal environmental activities to be introduced
In the face of illicit deforestation, degradation of wetlands, and illegal wildlife poaching and trade, Sri Lanka has seen increased community involvement and engagement despite the ongoing pandemic. While current official mechanisms for citizens to lodge complaints have room for improvements in transparency to the public, there is also an absence of an integrated government-mandated platform that could expand civic space to allow for meaningful community engagement and vigilance around such issues, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka has said.
“To this end, the ‘Digital Citizen Engagement for the Prevention of Illicit Environmental Activities’ initiative has been launched by the UNDP in Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation, the Citra Social Innovation Lab, and the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ). The initiative is supported through UNDP’s Global Project – Anti-Corruption for Peaceful and Inclusive Societies (ACPIS) funded by Norad, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.
“The first co-design workshop for the digital citizen engagement initiative took place recently with the presence of representatives from 16 Government institutions, including the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Forest Conservation, the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Sri Lanka Customs, and the Environmental Protection division of the Police, among others. The workshop recognized that, apart from improvements in the mechanisms through which citizens can lodge complaints, a core issue lies in a lack of an integrated system that would allow relevant government institutions to coordinate and communicate, in order to tackle illegal activities.
Speaking at the co-design workshop facilitated by the Citra Social Innovation Lab, Secretary, Ministry of Wildlife and Forest Conservation Somaratne Vidanapathirana said that “it is timely that UNDP initiated this conversation, in order to take this first step towards reducing corruption and illegal activities within the environmental sector.”
“Initial plans around the design of this citizen engagement platform focused on facilitating three key outcomes; firstly, citizens can take the initiative and report against harmful environmental practices, contributing towards crowdsourcing data while allowing status updates of their complaint. Secondly, officials can obtain the information required to address such concerns and also record and inform other officials from other relevant institutions of complaints that come to their attention, in order to ensure that the complaint is duly addressed with all relevant officials and institutions coming in when required. Lastly, citizens can easily obtain information on existing environmental legislation and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
“Commenting on UNDP’s role and Citra’s expertise, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, in Sri Lanka Malin Herwig stated that “it was encouraging to see officials from a variety of institutions coming forward to work collectively to find solutions to protect the wildlife and forests of Sri Lanka that people would actually use.”
“Speaking on behalf of Norway’s role as donors and collaborators for this initiative, through Norad, Deputy Head of Mission at the Norwegian Embassy of Sri Lanka Hilde Berg-Hansen thanked UNDP Sri Lanka and the Citra Social Innovation Lab for their role in this initiative, and highlighted that “the most important aspect will be making sure that the platform in its final form is accessible to communities”.
“It is also envisaged that this new solution will contribute towards crowd sourced data around environment-related issues, allowing researchers to access data that may contribute to evidence-based environmental policymaking, as well as contribute towards the collection and compilation of data related to the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 15.
Latest News
Heat Index at Caution Level at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Monaragala, Mannar, Vavuniya and Anuradhapura districts
Warm Weather Advisory Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology at 3.30 p.m. on 17 March 2026, valid for 18 March 2026.
The general public are warned that the Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Monaragala, Mannar, Vavuniya and Anuradhapura districts.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) yesterday (17) recorded a statement from former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the allocation of a house for a maid working at the residence of the then Chief Justice Mohan Peiris, PC.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in his capacity as the Secretary to the Ministry Defence and Urban Development, allegedly authorised the allocation of the house on the recommendation of the CJ during President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second term. The Rajapaksa government brought in Peiris as the Chief Justice after impeaching Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake in January 2013.
The allocation of the house was made by the Urban Development Authority (UDA), following the mandatory examination of the request, sources said, adding that during that time the government had launched several mega housing projects in Colombo and its suburbs to accommodate those living in shanties, etc.
CIABOC is expected to record a statement from ex-CJ Peiris who subsequently served as the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
As part of the assistance extended by the Government of India towards rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, a four-member technical delegation of health experts from Sri Lanka visited India recently.
The Indian HC said: “The delegation studied the Indian models of Medical Kiosks/Health ATMs, Mobile Diagnostic Laboratories and the telemedicine platform ‘eSanjeevani’ to explore replicating these initiatives in Sri Lanka in order to strengthen the local healthcare delivery system.
During the visit, the delegation participated in a series of technical sessions organized by premier Indian institutions like National Health Authority, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). Visits were arranged for the delegation to Combined Hospital at Loni, Ghaziabad, and Civil Hospital, Sector 10, Gurugram as part of exposure to India’s digital health ecosystem. Demonstrations were conducted on Mobile Health Kiosks / Health ATMs, including basic diagnostics and their role in strengthening primary healthcare delivery. The Sri Lankan experts were also provided an overview of India’s highly successful Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. A live teleconsultation through eSanjeevani was demonstrated, highlighting the integration of remote consultations with digital health records.
The initiative reflects the continued robust cooperation between India and Sri Lanka in strengthening healthcare delivery systems, particularly in vulnerable areas, and supporting recovery efforts among affected communities.”
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Showers above 50 mm can be expected at some places in the Central, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Uva provinces and in Anuradhapura district
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