The objective of the high-level conference is to raise awareness among policy makers and stakeholders in the Sri Lanka development community about the concept of Adaptive Social Protection and discuss how the current system of social protection and disaster response in Sri Lanka can be improved.
While Sri Lanka is already acting on many of the individual components of this system, the purpose of the conference is to look at the bigger picture and discuss in particular how the introduction of the new social registry can be leveraged to connect these components.
According to the World Bank, there is a wealth of practical international experience on the subject that can be tapped to find the best solutions for Sri Lanka. The conference will take stock of the existing policies, programs and delivery systems in Sri Lanka and identify gaps.
Practitioners from countries with well-functioning systems are invited to present their country models and reform experiences, and participants will discuss what can be taken from these models and adapted to the Sri Lankan context.The conference will be held on Tuesday, September 25 from 9 -11 am at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo.
Speakers at the inaugural ceremony include Dr. Idah Pswarayi-Riddihough, World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Mr. Martin Parent, Country Director, Agence Fran�aise de Développement, Eran Wickramaratne, State Minister of Finance and Mass Media, Mr. K.D.S. Ruwanchandra, Secretary of National Policies and Economic Affairs and Dr. Thomas Walker, Senior Economist, The World Bank.