2022-11-18
News Categories : Committee News
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Foreign Affairs disclosed that given that recruitment for foreign service has not been made since 2018, there is a deficiency in the foreign service sector. Thus, Hon. Ali Sabry, PC Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that it is intended to absorb forty recruits for foreign services, in batches by July.
The aforesaid was stated at the first meeting of the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Foreign Affairs held recently (Nov. 10) under the chairmanship Hon. Ali Sabry, PC, Minister of Foreign Affairs when the Members present raised the concern of the quality of the recruits of Foreign Service and the current status of the examination.
Members present raised concerns that many Sri Lankans are seen on pavements near foreign embassy entrances from morning till noon. The Members were of the view that it is not a pleasant sight and therefore a proper mechanism should be established to avoid the situation. The Minister stated that discussions have been carried out regarding the matter and it will be looked into as soon as possible.
Furthermore, explaining the array of tasks performed by the Ministry, Hon. minister stated that apart from the daily tasks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also involved in looking into various concerned raised by the UNHRC and ways to domestically face such international concerns.
The Hon. Minister also stated that a lot of ground work is been done coordinating with foreign nations given the debt restructuring process.
Hon. Ali Sabry, PC explained the nature of services provided by the Foreign Ministry and highlighted during the weekend in its role in coordinating the efforts to rescue 303 Sri Lankan’s who were abandoned by traffickers in the middle of the sea. As well as providing consular assistance to cricketers Dhanushka Gunathilaka at the time of his arrest. Further he highlighted the Sri Lankan High Commission in London’s role during the world tourism forum to promote Sri Lanka globally. Thus, many of the work carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sometimes does not get enough publicity due to its nature.
State Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Tharaka Balasuriya, State Ministers Hon. Lasantha Alagiyawanna, Hon. Shantha Bandara, Hon. Diana Gamage, Hon. Ashoka Priyantha, Members of Parliament Hon. (Dr.) Kavinda Jayawardhana, Hon. Sudath Manjula, Hon. Sanjeeva Edirimanna, Hon. Wasantha Yapabandara, Hon. Chandima Weerakkody, Hon. Weerasumana Weerasinghe were present at the Committee meeting held.
2026-06-19
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Environment focused its attention on the issue of water pollution in the Kelani River when it met in Parliament recently (10th June) under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Environment, Dr. Dammika Patabendi.During the meeting, the Committee was briefed on the progress of discussions being held with companies that have expressed willingness to invest in a project aimed at cleaning the waters of the Kelani River.The Committee also discussed a number of proposals and other issues raised by Hon. Members of Parliament.The meeting was attended by Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
2026-06-18
A meeting of the Women Parliamentarians Caucus was held in Parliament recently to discuss the importance of incorporating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s national budget formulation process and to examine the challenges associated with its implementation.The meeting was chaired by the Chairperson of the Caucus and Hon. Minister of Women and Child Affairs, Saroja Savithri Paulraj. Hon. Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya also participated in the discussion.A key concern raised during the discussion was the lack of adequate data and indicators to accurately assess and measure women’s economic contributions within the budgetary process. Drawing on examples of approaches adopted in India and other countries, members of the Caucus underscored the need to identify and address existing systemic and technical gaps in Sri Lanka’s budgeting framework.The Caucus also emphasized the importance of disaggregating data by gender in project reporting and strengthening digital data management systems to support such efforts. It was further noted that identifying relevant gender-related considerations at the initial stages of project design and implementation at the ministerial level would facilitate more effective project analysis, monitoring, and evaluation of outcomes.The need to move away from existing traditional and time-consuming methods towards formal online systems and data-driven analytical tools was also emphasized.The current progress and challenges in integrating Gender-Responsive Budgeting into Sri Lanka’s public financial policy were discussed in detail during the meeting.It was also emphasized that such budgeting should not be limited to nominal percentages in documents, but that the need to establish a formal framework and data system to ensure it has a real and practical impact was also highlighted.The Hon.Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemalee Weerasekera, Hon. Deputy Minister Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, Co-Vice Chairpersons of the Caucus, Hon. Members of Parliament Chamindrani Kiriella, Attorney at Law and Samanmalee Gunasinghe, Hon. Members of Parliament Thushari Jayasinghe, Attorney at Law, Krishnan Kaleichelvi, Sagarika Athauda ,Attorney at Law, Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney at Law, Ambika Samivel and Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney at Law, along with a group of officials from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, also participated in the event.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government met recently (Jun. 12) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Prof. A.H.M.H. Abayarathna.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a range of issues and proposals relating to their respective electorates, as well as several other matters of public importance.Hon. Members of Parliament and officials were present at the meeting.
2026-06-17
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs met recently (Jun. 09) at Parliament under the chairmanship of the Hon. Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi.During the meeting, Members of Parliament discussed a number of proposals and issues, including reviewing the progress of discussions initiated with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and the Department of Examinations regarding the formulation of regulations to prevent the conduct of private tuition classes on Sunday mornings, thereby facilitating the holding of Dhamma School classes on Sundays.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers, Hon. Members of Parliament and officials.
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