2026-03-10
News Categories : Committee News
A two-day residential workshop for Members of the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative was successfully held on 06 and 07 March in Kalutara.
The workshop was organized with the support of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and the Coalition for Inclusive Impact (CII).
Members of the caucus, including its Co-Chairs Hon. Minister of Science and Technology (Prof.) Krishantha Abeysena and Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, as well as several officials of the Parliament Secretariat, participated in the workshop.
During the workshop, discussions were held on planning future programmes to be implemented by the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative, drawing on the views of the caucus members and expert resource persons.
Accordingly, a detailed introduction to the concepts of Open Government and Open Parliament was presented. The National Consultant, Ms. Angelina Herman, outlined the steps required to make Parliament a more accessible institution to the public through the key principles of the Open Parliament process: Transparency, Accountability, Participation, and Inclusivity. Discussions were also held on practices adopted by various countries around the world in implementing the Open Parliament concept.
Furthermore, Assistant Secretary-General of Parliament Mr. Hansa Abeyratne explained the steps taken by the Parliament of Sri Lanka since the initial establishment of this caucus in 2015 to bring Parliament closer to the people.
In addition, Chief Legal Officer of the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Ms. Gayani Premathilaka delivered an awareness session on the committee system of local government institutions and ways to enhance public participation in those committees.
The workshop also facilitated an exchange of knowledge and ideas between resource persons and caucus members, leading to the development of a working terms of reference and a strategic action plan for the caucus.
Speaking at the event, Co-Chairs Hon. Minister (Prof.) Krishantha Abeysena and Hon. Member of Parliament Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam emphasized that the Parliamentary Caucus for Open Parliament Initiative will continue to take the necessary measures to ensure greater engagement in making Parliament a more people-centred institution.
Mr. Sanje Vignaraja, Country Director for the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), and Ms. Dilashinee Angunawela, Strategy & Governance Specialist representing the Coalition for Inclusive Impact (CII), were also present on the occasion.
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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