Senior officials of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) met the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary General (Rtd) Kamal Gunaratne on Monday (11 Dec.) at the Defence Ministry in Sri Jayawardenepura, Kotte.
The delegation led by BMGF’s Deputy Director for Emergency Response, Global Development Dr. Valerie Bemo was accorded a warm welcome on arrival at the Defence Ministry and subsequently had a cordial discussion with the Defence Secretary where matters related to the launch of the Sustainable National Anticipatory Actions through Preparedness in South Asia (SNAP) initiative were discussed.
The BMGF’s Senior Program Officer for Emergency Response, Global Development Ms. Pilar Pacheco, Director of Preparedness for Response and Recovery Dr Sisira Madurapperuma and Ms. Nirmala Fernando from Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre were also in the delegation.
The BMGF has long supported disaster risk reduction initiatives in the region including several programs in Sri Lanka, the statement said.
The Director General of Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre Maj. Gen. Sudantha Ranasinghe (Retd) was also present on the occasion.
