News
USAID signs new five-year agreement with Sri Lanka
Building on the USAID Administrator Samantha Powers’s recent visit, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung announced today that the United States, through USAID, will provide an additional estimated $65 million (more than 23 billion Sri Lankan rupees) in assistance to Sri Lanka over a five-year period.
The assistance falls under the Development Objectives Assistance Agreement (DOAG) signed by Gabriel Grau, Mission Director for USAID Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies.This funding is in addition to over $60 million (21 billion Sri Lankan rupees) of new humanitarian and fertilizer assistance that Administrator Power announced last week in response to the current economic and political crises in Sri Lanka
In celebration of the start of this new bilateral agreement, Ambassador Julie Chung remarked, “The United States and the American people are proud of our enduring and robust partnership with the people and government of Sri Lanka. We remain fully committed to supporting locally led initiatives to advance a stable, prosperous, and peaceful Sri Lanka – critical to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific in which all nations are connected, prosperous, resilient, and secure,”
The U.S., through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is committed to supporting Sri Lanka to advance market-driven growth, environmental sustainability and resilience, and good governance. All USAID funding for Sri Lanka is provided as gifts or grants and is implemented by local and international organizations that adhere to strict monitoring standards.The U.S. has provided more than $2 billion (approximately 720 billion Sri Lankan rupees) in development assistance to Sri Lanka since 1956.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya recently met with key figures from the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), including Sumathi Dharmawardena, President’s Counsel, the newly appointed Independent Chair of the ICC ACU, and Alex Marshall, (CBE, QPM) General Manager of Integrity and Human Resources, ICC.
During the discussion, Alex Marshall noted Sri Lanka’s progress in combating corruption in cricket over the past seven years, emphasizing the importance of player education and strengthening the Ministry of Sports’ Special Investigations.
The meeting was also attended by Andrew Ephgrave, Senior Manager, of ICC ACU Operations; . Vije Bandara, Senior Attorney and Director General of Legal at the President’s Office; Mrs. Illeperuma, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Sports; and Prof. Shemal Fernando, Director General of Sports.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Two newly appointed Ambassadors to Sri Lanka presented their credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday (07).
The two new envoys, Mr Adel Ibrahim, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Mr. ISOMATA Akio, Ambassador of Japan, also paid courtesy calls on the President following the presentation of credentials.
The 34th International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) meeting took place between the Indian and Sri Lanka Navies aboard SLNS Vijayabahu at the Indo-Sri Lanka Maritime Boundary Line, situated north of Kankesanthurai on Wednesday 06th November 2024.
The purpose of the annual IMBL meeting is to enhance connections and share perspectives on strategies that the Navies and Coast Guards of the two neighbouring countries can implement to address shared maritime challenges in the Indian Ocean Region.
The Sri Lanka delegation at the IMBL meeting was led by Commander North Central Naval Area, Rear Admiral Jagath Kumara, and the Indian delegation was headed by Flag Officer Commanding Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Naval Area, Rear Admiral Ravi Kumar Dhingra.
During this year’s meeting representatives from both navies engaged in conversations about issues concerning the security of their respective maritime borders and shared perspectives on the advancements made in previous meetings.
Deputy Area Commander Northern Naval Area, Commodore Jayantha Bandara, Director Naval Operations, Commodore Aruna Weerasinghe, a group of senior officers from the Navy and Sri Lanka Coast Guard and Defence Adviser to the High Commission of India in Colombo, Captain
Anand Mukundan were also present.
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