UN Assistant Secretary General Kanni Wignaraja calls on PM Mahinda Rajapaksa

UN Assistant Secretary General, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Ms. Kanni Wignaraja called on Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse today (15). 

At the meeting, Ms. Wignaraja reinforced Sri Lanka’s longstanding partnership with UNDP while renewing the organization’s commitment and engagement towards building a digital driven, innovative, human centric, greener development pathway for Sri Lanka, a statement said.

She was accompanied by Resident Representative of UNDP in Sri Lanka, Mr. Robert Juhkam and Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Sri Lanka, Ms. Malin Herwig. 

Also present at the meeting was Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris and Secretary to the Prime Minister Mr. Gamini Senarath. 

The UN Assistant Secretary General had arrived in Sri Lanka on December 13 for a five-day official visit to the island.

She is visiting Sri Lanka with the aim of better understanding country priorities and exploring new avenues of support from UNDP to Sri Lanka—particularly focusing on follow up to the recently concluded UN Climate Change Conference COP26, post-COVID-19 socio-economic recovery in the region, and leveraging of more development financing to the country.

The official visit will focus on the human development agenda and the acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also given COVID-19 socio-economic impacts, while importantly celebrating the human development achievements of Sri Lanka.

During her visit, ASG Wignaraja is scheduled to meet with high-level government officials and other partners, and having a first-hand look at some of UNDP supported work on the ground.

She had also met with Sri Lanka’s Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa on Monday.