News
University of Colombo leads regional drive for environmental cooperation
The University of Colombo is taking a bold step towards advancing regional collaboration on sustainability through the Indo-Lanka Environmental Law Week, scheduled to begin today (Oct. 15). Spearheaded by Vice Chancellor Professor Indika Karunathilake, the week-long initiative underscores the University’s growing leadership in environmental governance, education, and policy innovation across South Asia.
The event will bring together 35 Indian law students from Amity Law School and 15 Sri Lankan students from the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. Over seven days, participants will engage in lectures, field visits, and policy workshops focusing on critical legal doctrines — including the Polluter Pays Principle, Public Trust Doctrine, and Intergenerational Equity — as well as practical sessions on environmental governance.
The programme, organised in collaboration with the Centre for Environmental Law and Policy, Amity Law School, and the Commonwealth Legal Education Association, will conclude with the Indo-Lanka Policy Dialogue on Regional Environmental Cooperation, on October 22, at the University’s Senate Hall.
Vice Chancellor Professor Karunathilake said the University’s vision goes far beyond academic dialogue.
“As a university, we want to turn knowledge into action,” he told The Island. “Environmental protection is not just a classroom subject — it’s a moral responsibility. We must convert best practices and academic insights into real-world interventions that make a measurable difference.”
He said the initiative reflects the University’s commitment to bridging policy and practice, particularly in areas such as bioplastics, waste management, and marine pollution.
“Our goal is to create impact — not just discussion. We need to promote innovations that lead to a cleaner, greener Sri Lanka,” the Vice Chancellor said. “Environmental sustainability must become part of our national culture.”
Professor Karunathilake added that the initiative represents the University’s growing global engagement, linking regional collaboration with the larger sustainability agenda.
Director of the Centre for Environmental Law and Policy, Professor Kokila Konasinghe, described the Environmental Law Week as a pioneering move for the region.
“For the first time, we are working beyond national borders on environmental law,” she said. “Environmental problems, such as global warming, marine pollution, and biodiversity loss, don’t stop at boundaries. Collaboration is the only way forward.”
Professor Konasinghe said the programme will end with a policy framework that captures regional solutions to shared environmental challenges.
“This is a need of our time,” she emphasised. “We are bringing policymakers, the judiciary, and youth together — because intergenerational equity must guide all decisions. Today’s students will become tomorrow’s judges and lawmakers in India and Sri Lanka.”
Marine protection, she said, will be a central focus, with special attention to post-disaster recovery and sustainable coastal management.
“The X-Press Pearl disaster is a painful reminder that marine pollution has long-lasting consequences. The Law of the Sea will be a key topic, with experts discussing how to strengthen legal and policy frameworks for ocean governance,” she noted.
Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor N.S. Punchihewa, highlighted the significance of the upcoming policy dialogue on October 22, which will bring together key representatives from the Indian Embassy, BIMSTEC Secretariat, legal institutions, and environmental experts.
“This dialogue will strengthen environmental protection within the BIMSTEC framework,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to build partnerships and promote cross-fertilisation of ideas between Sri Lanka and India.”
He said the Faculty’s first-ever summer school on environmental law will serve as an important platform for innovation.
“Our students will discuss legal and policy solutions that can shape the future of environmental governance in the region. The Indian Ocean connects us — it also connects our challenges,” Professor Punchihewa explained. “Through cooperation, we can turn shared vulnerabilities into shared strengths.”
The Indo-Lanka Environmental Law Week represents a new chapter in South Asia’s legal and environmental collaboration — one that transforms theory into action and education into impact.
By combining academic excellence, youth engagement, and policy dialogue, the University of Colombo is positioning itself as a regional hub for environmental leadership, setting the tone for how the next generation of lawyers and policymakers will respond to the defining challenge of our time: protecting the planet we share.
By Ifham Nizam
The Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, established to provide relief and support to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, continues to receive financial contributions on a daily basis.
Accordingly, the Containers Transport Owners Association made a financial contribution of Rs. 1.5 million, while the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers contributed Rs. 1.35 million to the Fund.
The respective cheques were formally presented to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (19).
The occasion was attended by W. M. S. K. Manjula, Chairman of the Containers Transport Owners Association, together with Dilip Nihal Anslem Perera and Jayantha Karunadhipathi.
Representing the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers were Deshan Rajapaksa, Samudika Perera and Devshan Rodrigo handed over the cheque.
A meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and a delegation of UNICEF representatives was held on Saturday, (December 20) at the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister explained the measures taken by the Government to ensure the protection of the affected student community and to restore the damaged school system, as well as the challenges encountered in this process.
The Prime Minister stated that reopening schools located in landslide-prone areas would be extremely dangerous. Accordingly, the Government is focusing on identifying such schools and relocating them to suitable locations based on scientific assessments.
The Prime Minister further noted that financial assistance has been provided to students affected by the disaster, enabling parents to send their children back to school without an additional financial burden. Emphasizing that school is the safest place for children after their homes, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the school environment would help restore and improve students’ mental well-being
The Prime Minister also highlighted that attention has been given to several key areas, including the relocation of disaster-affected schools, restoration of school infrastructure, merging and operating certain schools jointly, facilitating teaching and learning through digital and technological strategies, and providing special transportation facilities. She emphasized that the Government is examining these issues and is committed to finding long-term solutions.
The UNICEF representatives commended the Government’s commitment and the initiatives undertaken to restore the education sector and assured their support to the Government. Both parties also discussed working together collaboratively on future initiatives.
The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives to Sri Lanka Emma Brigham, Lakshmi Sureshkumar, Nishantha Subash, and Yashinka Jayasinghe, along with Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, Director of Education Dakshina Kasturiarachchi, Deputy Directors Kasun Gunarathne and Udara Dikkumbura.
(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
Drug controversy:
“Setting up state-of-the-art drug testing facility will cost Rs 5 billion”
Activists call for legal action against politicians, bureaucrats
Serious questions have been raised over Sri Lanka’s drug regulatory system following revelations that the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s (NMRA) quality control laboratory is not accredited by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB), casting doubt on both the reliability of local test results and the adequacy of oversight of imported medicines.
Medical and civil rights groups warn that the issue points to a systemic regulatory failure rather than an isolated lapse, with potential political and financial consequences for the State.
Chairman of the Federation of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Associations, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, said the controversy surrounding the Ondansetron injection, which was later found to be contaminated, had exposed deep weaknesses in drug regulation and quality assurance.
Dr. Sanjeewa said that the manufacturer had confirmed that the drug had been imported into Sri Lanka on four occasions this year, despite later being temporarily withdrawn from use. The drug was manufactured in India in November 2024 and in May and August 2025, and imported to Sri Lanka in February, July and September. On each occasion, 67,600 phials were procured.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the company had informed the NMRA that the drug was tested in Indian laboratories, prior to shipment, and passed all required quality checks. The manufacturer reportedly tested the injections against 10 parameters, including basic quality standards,
pH value, visual appearance, component composition, quantity per phial, sterility levels, presence of other substances, bacterial toxin levels and spectral variations.
According to documents submitted to the NMRA, no bacterial toxins were detected in the original samples, and the reported toxin levels were within European safety limits of less than 9.9 international units per milligram.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the credibility of local regulatory oversight had come under scrutiny, noting that the NMRA’s quality control laboratory was not SLAB-accredited. He said establishing a fully equipped, internationally accredited laboratory would cost nearly Rs. 5 billion.
He warned that the failure to invest in such a facility could have grave consequences, including continued loss of life due to substandard medicines and the inability of the State to recover large sums of public funds paid to pharmaceutical companies for defective drugs.
“If urgent steps are not taken, public money will continue to be lost and accountability will remain elusive,” Dr. Sanjeewa said.
He added that if it was ultimately confirmed that the drug did not contain bacterial toxins at the time it entered Sri Lanka, the fallout would be even more damaging, severely undermining the credibility of the country’s health system and exposing weaknesses in health administration.
Dr. Sanjeewa said public trust in the health sector had already been eroded and called for legal action against all politicians and public officials responsible for regulatory failures linked to the incident.
by Chaminda Silva ✍️
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