News
US Ambassador Chung joins finale of UNDP’s Mobile Interactive Exhibition in Batti
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka’s mobile interactive gender exhibition, ‘A Journey of Transformation and Women’s Empowerment’, reached its final stop in Batticaloa, and was declared open by Julie Chung, United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka together with Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative, UNDP in Sri Lanka, along with the participation of other local government officials, development partners and CSO partners.
The pioneering initiative aimed at celebrating transformation, women’s empowerment, and promoting justice for survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and has travelled across Sri Lanka starting from Kandy and having completed stops in Kurunegala, Colombo, Jaffna, Galle and Nuwara Eliya. The exhibition was held in Batticaloa from 22nd to 24th April at the Deivanayagam Hall, Batticaloa from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, open to the public with free admission.
Joining the inauguration Julie Chung, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka noted, “UNDP’s ‘Journey of Transformation and Women’s Empowerment’ exhibition in Batticaloa illustrates that the road to gender equality, while long and fraught with challenges, is rich with potential. Witnessing the compelling stories of resilience and empowerment from women across Sri Lanka reinforces that advancing gender equality uplifts not only women but entire communities. The United States is steadfast in its commitment to support Sri Lanka in dismantling barriers to equality and in amplifying the voices of all women, ensuring they are heard and valued.”
Made possible with the generous support of the Government of Canada and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, through a series of interactive exhibits, engaging discussions, and storytelling sessions, the exhibition celebrates the resilience of Sri Lankan communities while highlighting the efforts of UNDP Sri Lanka and its partners in addressing barriers to gender equality and SGBV over the years. It showcases the stories of women and communities whose lives have been transformed and supported by various UNDP interventions over the years, implemented together with the support of a wide range of partners and grassroots-level organisations.
Commenting on the successful completion of the series of exhibitions, Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative, UNDP in Sri Lanka highlighted, “It truly has been inspiring to bring Sri Lankan women’s stories of transformative change, courage and resilience across these 7 locations in Sri Lanka. The social dialogues that accompanied the exhibition generated insightful and rich conversations on challenges and opportunities around women champions, livelihood empowerment, climate and SGBV issues and other deprivations that were intensified by recent socio-economic crises.
Working together with partners, UNDP reaffirms its commitment, as a Gold Gender Seal certified country office in Sri Lanka, to eliminating gender inequalities through targeted programmes. We will ensure to respond to the insights we gained through this journey in all of our interventions. We are profoundly grateful to all partners who have made this journey a possibility.”
The exhibition aligns with UNDP Sri Lanka’s broader project, ‘Ensuring Justice for Victim-Survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Sri Lanka,’ jointly implemented with UNFPA Sri Lanka, and funded by the Government of Canada, along with UNDP’s flagship portfolio on ‘SDG16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions’, also supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy.
Through the interactive exhibits and engaging discussions, UNDP aimed to foster dialogue and idea generation on gender transformation and women empowerment, whilst highlighting protracted issues such as SGBV that are reflections of deep-rooted discrimination and disparities.
The exhibition invited members of the public to participate in discussions, share their stories, and contribute ideas for gender transformation and women’s empowerment. Through these interactive sessions, UNDP in Sri Lanka hopes to inspire change and promote a society free of SGBV.
During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 01 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended 11 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan of Kareinagar, Jaffna.
The Northern Naval Command spotted a group of Indian fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing, trespassing into Sri Lankan waters. In response, naval craft of the Northern Naval Command were deployed to drive away those Indian fishing boats from island waters off Kovilan.
Meanwhile, compliant boarding made by naval personnel resulted in the seizure of one Indian fishing boat and apprehension of 11 Indian fishermen who continued to engage in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
The seized boat (01) and Indian fishermen (11) were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.
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Tri-Forces donate LKR. 372 million, a day’s pay of all ranks to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund
Members of all ranks from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force have collectively donated a day’s basic salary to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, which was established to restore livelihoods and rebuild the country following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Accordingly, the total contribution made by the Tri-Forces amounts to LKR. 372,776,918.28.
The cheques representing the financial contributions were handed over on Wednesday (31 December) at the Presidential Secretariat to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
The donations comprised LKR. 250 million from the Commander of the Army, Major General Lasantha Rodrigo; LKR. 73,963,879.71 from the Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and LKR. 48,813,038.97 from the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe.
Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, was also present on the occasion.
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) seeking an 11.57 percent increase in electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026, citing an estimated revenue shortfall and additional financial pressures, including cyclone-related damages.
According to documents issued by the PUCSL, the proposed tariff revision would apply to electricity consumption from January to March 2026 and includes changes to both energy charges and fixed monthly charges across all consumer categories, including domestic, religious, industrial, commercial and other users.
Under the proposal, domestic electricity consumers would face increases in unit rates as well as fixed monthly charges across all consumption blocks.
The CEB has estimated a deficit of Rs. 13,094 million for the first quarter of 2026, which it says necessitates the proposed 11.57 per cent tariff hike. The utility has noted that any deviation from this estimate whether a surplus or a shortfall will be adjusted through the Bulk Supply Tariff Adjustment (BSTA) mechanism and taken into account in the next tariff revision.
In its submission, the CEB said the proposed revision is aimed at ensuring the financial and operational stability of the power sector and mitigating potential risks to the reliability of electricity supply. The board-approved tariff structure for the first quarter of 2026 has been submitted to the PUCSL for approval and subsequent implementation, as outlined in Annex II of the proposal.
The CEB has also highlighted the financial impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which it said caused extensive damage to electricity infrastructure, with total losses estimated at around Rs. 20 billion. Of this amount, Rs. 7,016.52 million has been attributed to the first quarter of 2026, which the utility said has a direct bearing on electricity tariffs.
The CEB warned that if external funding is not secured to cover the cyclone-related expenditure, the costs incurred would need to be recovered through electricity tariffs in the second-quarter revision of 2026.
Meanwhile, the PUCSL has said that a decision on whether to approve the proposed tariff increase will be made only after following due regulatory procedures and holding discussions on the matter.
By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️
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