
Minister Of Wild Life And Sustainable Development Gamini Jayawickrama Perera To Chair APFSD
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Hon. GaminiJayawickremaPerera, Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife Sri Lanka was elected as the Chair of the Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 2016 (APFSD) at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok today. With this appointment, Sri Lanka will hold the chair of APFSD for a period of one year and will provide leadership to the regional sustainable development roadmap.
APFSD 2016 is held from 3-5th April and will discuss regional priorities for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A key outcome of the forum is to agree upon a regional road map for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Form and Function of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, including Follow-Up and Review Process.
The Minister in his address to the APFSD stated that ecological capital is the wealth of Sri Lanka and is committed to a maintaining low ecological footprint in the country’s development planning and implementation. He further stated that Inclusive economic growth towards ensuring quality of life and high well being of all is a priority of the government. The continued policy that offers free health care and education up to the passing out at university level, including school books, uniforms, and a meal, is a clear example of ensuring including all in development benefit sharing.
The minister reminded this high level regional forum that the new government in Sri Lanka was founded on good governance and that it has already created a peaceful coexistence amongst all the stakeholders in the country. Peace and harmony amongst all communities at nation state, regional and international levels are essential to achieve sustainable development goals.
It was stressed that no country and nation can achieve sustainable development in isolation and alone. National priorities and regional priorities must find coherence and the implementation will require sharing of both financial and non-financial capacities. For this partnerships between UN and other agencies, South-South partnerships, banks and with private sector alignment is important.No one must be left of planning for the transformation and all stakeholders should be engaged in this massive undertaking.