Sri Lanka invited to International Development Dialogue in Malaysia

Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen (second from right) joins the visiting Pangkor International Development Dialogue team from Malaysia led by Institut Darul Ridzuan (IDR) CEO Dr. Mazalan Bin Kamis (second from left) in Colombo on 11 May

Sri Lanka has been invited to take part in the high profile global forum on inclusivity and development for the first ever time.  

“Your invitation comes at a time when Sri Lanka enters a period of major economic and social reforms,” said Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen yesterday in Colombo.

Bathiueen was addressing the CEO of Perak Malaysia’s Institut Darul Ridzuan (IDR) Dr. Mazalan Bin Kamis who called on the Minister to extend the first-ever official invitation to Sri Lanka to join the Pangkor International Development Dialogue (PIDD) held annually in Pangkor Island, Malaysia.

Called the Davos of Development, PIDD is annually held in Malaysia’s Pangkor resort Island. The fourth in the series, PIDD 2016 is themed ‘Building Resilience for Inclusive & Sustainable Future’ and scheduled from 5-7 September.

Jointly organised by Perak’s Institut Darul Ridzuan (IDR), Northern Corridor Implementation Authority of Malaysia and Perak Government, PIDD promotes exchange of knowledge and ideas in the areas of global and state development. The third Pangkor Dialogue held in 2015 in Pangkor Island drew 16 countries.

“There is no other similar event focused on inclusivity and development in South East Asia as PIDD. This series of dialogues is becoming the Davos on Development among annual global dialogues. It is also unique among other global dialogues in that it is one of the few such fora promoted by a state government of a country. It attracts renowned speakers and experts around the world to share their latest findings on sustainable economic development with one common focus. This series contributes towards deeper insights and analytical understanding of integrated solutions on sustainable development and strengthening the position of Perak State Government within the Malaysian context and global outlook. Even though this began as a Perak State event, this series is transforming into a bigger platform for countries to exchange development and inclusivity experience for mutual benefit. We are pleased to invite Sri Lanka to take part in this September’s PIDD and keenly look forward to sharing of your experiences with us,” said Dr. Mazalan Bin Kamis.

He added: “The outcome of the dialogue provides actionable and impactful recommendations for the benefits of all stakeholders. PIDD is also a platform for fruitful collaborative networking between international stakeholders.”

Bathiudeen said: “Your invitation comes at a time when Sri Lanka enters a period of major economic and social reforms. We believe this Forum could be an important platform for our socio-economic policy inputs. The Unity Government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has many activities that would elevate Sri Lanka from a lower middle income to an upper middle income economy. Aligning our goals and steps along with global platforms such as PIDD would certainly strengthen the Government’s reform plans.”

Malaysia’s Pangkor resort island itself is a historic location; the island was the first entry-point of global colonial masters to the Malay Peninsula in 1874.