Speaking during the Ministerial session of the 10 th APFSD

Speaking during the Ministerial Session of the 10th Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development, State Minister of Finance, Shehan Semasinghe, stated that despite the constrained fiscal space, the Government of Sri Lanka is making strategic interventions to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remain at the forefront of the country’s recovery visions and plans. These include among others, introducing structural reforms to unlock Sri Lanka’s growth potential, creating an enabling environment for the growth of the SME sector that forms the backbone of the economy, expanding and better targeting social protection floors and deepening and diversifying financing options for SDGs through exploring a menu of different financing options. He further pointed out that steps are being taken to increase investments in a low-carbon economy that would guarantee energy security and green employment opportunities to the Sri Lankan people.

Minister of Village, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration of Indonesia, Abdul Halim Iskandar, Minister of Planning. Development and Special Initiatives of Pakistan, Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhry, Delegate to the Royal Government of Cambodia, Ministry of Planning Cambodia, Panhathun Theng were among the other speakers during the session.

The 10th Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development convenes under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) on the theme “Accelerating the recovery from COVID-19 and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels in Asia and the Pacific” at the UN Convention Centre in Bangkok from 27 to 31 March.