The Government of Sri Lanka and the United Nations jointly deliver #SDGDataLK, the First National Symposium on Data for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
COLOMBO, (20th and 21st March 2018 at Waters Edge) #SDGDataLK, Sri Lanka’s First National Symposium on Data for the SDGs, was inaugurated with the presence of the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Karu Jayasuriya, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of the Parliament Select Committee for the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Hon. Thilanga Sumpathipala, and the UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Simrin Singh. The two-day symposium is a platform for enhancing the use of data towards evidence-based policy making and coordination of monitoring the progress on the SDGs in Sri Lanka.
Ten sessions were conducted during the two days by 24 esteemed local and international resource persons. The sessions discussed three main points: 1) Impact and Importance of Data; 2) Context and Challenges of SDG data in Sri Lanka, and 3) Strategy and Way Forward in using data for the SDGs. The discussions will focus on the need for mapping baseline data in Sri Lanka, against the 244 SDG indicators, to understand where Sri Lanka currently stands in the journey towards achieving the SDGs by 2030.
Speaking at the event Hon. Thilanga Sumathipala, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and Chairman of the Parliament Select Committee for the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development stated, “We have been working for more than a year since November 2016 and we have managed to publish a Parliamentary Report on SDGs, as the first country in the world to do so, making an assessment of the SDGs and the impact it can have on the country. For any country to go forward in achieving the global goals, they need to have a plan to achieve those respective goals.”
Further emphasizing, Hon. Deputy Speaker stated that the Government needs to have proper data unless the data is accurate it’s difficult to make an assessment. The Symposium is organised today for us to understand the importance of data i.e. why we need data, the methodology of data collection and how we can use data based on accuracy of data. The information flow is taking time. We are behind in collecting data. DCS has made a presentation to the government and the government is working towards it. Further it was said that, there is data at the lower level, data is collected at certain levels, but it does not come fast and there is no system to bring these data to the top level. Make sure we spend our money wisely through our national budget in order to collect data. Once in every 3 months the Speaker of Parliament calls for a meeting with regard to SDG and it is discussed as to where we are on SDG and when we plan to publish our 2nd report. We have sent letters to government agencies through Mr Austin Fernando, Secretary to the President with templates in all 3 languages.
Further emphasizing, Hon. Deputy Speaker requested all present at the symposiums to make use of the 2 days and study the guide lines and get the proper data.
On an ending note Hon. Thilanga Sumathipala thanked all the UN agencies who are working towards the success of SDGs and specially thanked UNFPA for initiating the symposium in educating all agencies on data collection.
Opening remarks by Dty. Speaker
Closing remarks by Dty. Speaker
2026-08-17
A programme aimed at educating students of the Sri Lanka Law College on the legislative process was held at Parliament.The programme included discussions on the legislative process, Parliamentary procedures and traditions, and other matters relating to the business of Parliament. A question-and-answer session was also held. Afterwards, the students took part in a tour of the Parliament premises, including the Chamber.At the request of the Human Rights Movement of the Sri Lanka Law College, the programme was organized by the Public Outreach Section of the Department of Communications of Parliament. Assistant Secretary General of Parliament Mr. Hansa Abeyratne, Director (Legislative Services) Mr. M. Jayalath Perera, Assistant Director (Administration) Mr. Kanchana Herath, and Assistant Director (Administration) Mr. Shantha Fernando participated in the programme.
2026-08-14
Parliament’s Official Website Also Wins Gold Award for Best Government WebsiteThe official website of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, www.parliament.lk, recently won the Overall Silver Award for the Best Website Overall at the “BestWeb.lk 2026” Awards Ceremony.It is also noteworthy that the Parliament’s official website won the Gold Award in the “Best Government Website” category.The “BestWeb.lk 2026” Awards Ceremony, organized by the LK Domain Registry, was held on 12 August 2026 at the Monarch Imperial in Sri Jayawardenepura.More than 350 websites competed this year across 24 categories. The websites were evaluated based on a range of criteria, including technical implementation, performance, design, content, security, and other additional features.The Parliament’s official website has previously won awards at this competition on several occasions. This year’s participation is particularly significant as it marked the website’s return to the competition after a seven-year hiatus, following the launch of its revamped website.A large gathering of distinguished guests, experts, academics, as well as award winners and representatives of nominated websites, attended the awards ceremony. Mr. G. Pradeep Saputhanthri, Secretary to the Prime Minister, participated as the Chief Guest.This recognition reaffirms the Parliament’s continued commitment to strengthening its digital presence and providing Parliamentary information to the public through its official online platform in an accessible, reliable, and user-friendly manner.
2026-08-13
A special awareness programme on parliamentary procedure for students of the Department of Sociology of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura was conducted by the Department of Communication of the Parliament of Sri Lanka on 10 August 2026. The programme was held at Committee Room No. 02 of the Parliament premises.As part of the programme, Assistant Director (Administration) of the Department of Legislative Services, Mrs. Chandima Subasinghe, conducted a session on “Parliament and the Legislative Process.” The students were briefed on the role of Parliament, the legislative process and parliamentary procedure.Speaking at the programme, Prof. Rasanjali Perera, Head of the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, expressed her appreciation to the Department of Communication of the Parliament of Sri Lanka for organising such awareness programmes for university students.She noted that gaining first-hand knowledge of the functioning of Parliament and the legislative process was a valuable and important experience for the students.Prof. Perera further noted that such programmes provide students with an opportunity to gain a practical understanding of the theoretical knowledge they acquire through their academic studies. She also highlighted that these programmes make a significant contribution towards broadening students’ knowledge and enhancing their understanding of the parliamentary democratic process.At the conclusion of the programme, the students joined for a group photograph and also took part in a special guided tour of the Parliament premises.
2026-08-11
The Parliamentary business scheduled for the next sitting week, from 18 to 21 August 2026, has been decided.The decision was taken at the meeting of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held recently, (7 August), under the chairmanship of Hon. Speaker (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne. Accordingly, on each of the four sitting days, the period from 9.30 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. has been allocated for the Parliamentary business specified in Standing Order No. 22 (1) to (6). The period from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. has been allocated for Questions for Oral Answers, while the period from 11.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. has been allocated for questions under Standing Order No. 27(2).Tuesday, 18 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., the House is scheduled to debate the Regulations published in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2496/38 under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, for approval.Thereafter, at 5.00 p.m., the National Photographic Art Society of Sri Lanka (Incorporation) Bil, a Private Member’s Bill, is scheduled to be referred to the Legislative Standing Committee following its Second Reading.From 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., an Adjournment Motion to be moved by the Opposition is scheduled to be taken up for debate.Wednesday, 19 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., the House is scheduled to debate a Resolution under the Finance Act. (Vide Item No. 3 scheduled for 18.08.2026 in the Addendum to the Order Book of Parliament, No. 4(4) issued on 07.08.2026).Thereafter, the period from 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. has been allocated for Questions at the Adjournment Time.Thursday, 20 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., the House is scheduled to hold the Second Reading Debate on the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children (Amendment) Bill.Thereafter, from 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., the Motion at the Adjournment Time to be moved by the Opposition is scheduled to be taken up for debate.Friday, 21 August 2026From 11.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., the House is scheduled to debate an Adjournment Motion to be moved by the Government.
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