The Sri Lanka Preparedness Partnership (SLPP) successfully conducted a Country Consultation Workshop from 09 to 10 May 2024. It was attended by more than 50 individuals representing local, national, and international organizations working in the country on disaster risk reduction.
In his keynote message, Dr. Sisira Madurapperuma (Director, Preparedness for Response and Recovery Department, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center), shared that the provision of direct funding from international sources to local actors remains a challenge. This is despite the commitments made at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit and the Grand Bargain. In this context, he emphasized that SLPP can play an important role in serving as a sustainable platform for multi-sectoral collaboration for resilience building.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Udaya Herath (Director General, Disaster Management Center, Sri Lanka), a Co-Chair of SLPP, stressed the need to expand the partnership down to subnational level ensuring equal and active engagement among local actors. He added that enhanced cooperation among the members of SLPP will benefit the Sri Lankan people in line with the national aspiration of building resilient communities toward sustainable development. In this regard, SLPP serves to complement government efforts in implementing development interventions in the country.
Through engaging discussions and knowledge sharing, the participants identified strategies for proactive disaster preparedness measures. This collaborative effort aimed at streamlining coordination among multiple stakeholders, enhancing community engagement, and leveraging resources efficiently to mitigate risks and build resilient communities across Sri Lanka.
SLPP is the national chapter of the Asian Preparedness Partnership (APP) in Sri Lanka. It is a multi-stakeholder platform co-chaired by the Disaster Management Center (government), Janathakshan GTE LTD (civil society), and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (private sector). APP is a unique multi-stakeholder regional partnership formed in 2017 with technical and secretariat support from the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) as well as assistance from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (the Foundation) and the United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID BHA). Its goal is to achieve “safer and well-prepared communities through locally-led disaster risk management (DRM) actions, so that disaster impacts on at-risk communities of Asia will be reduced”.
