Colombo (LNW): Marc-Andre Franche the newly appointed United Nations Resident Envoy during a meeting with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at Temple Trees yesterday (01) commended Sri Lanka’s economic recovery from an unprecedented crisis and assured continuous support for the development process.
Franche pointed out that Sri Lanka is heading back in the right direction, but the next couple of years may be very difficult for not only the island nation, but also most of the countries due to the global economic downturn.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena in response noted that the government of Sri Lanka has taken a number of initiatives to boost food production in the island nation and guarantee food security. Along the way, Sri Lanka expects not only being self sufficient in food, but also growth in foreign exchange through exports, he emphasised.
He added that measures undertaken to address the issues of individuals affected by thirty years of war are already in motion, adding that there is a significant progress, such as the return of over 95 per cent of land in the North and East parts of the country that was confiscated during the conflict.
Further, land mines have been removed from the so that farming will no longer become a problem, and LTTE detainees have been released, whilst the fisheries sector has regained normalcy, Gunawardena told Franche.
Meanwhile, the two parties also discussed Sri Lanka’s development initiatives related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), green economy, social cohesion and social protection.
