Foreign Ministry launches ‘Contact Sri Lanka’ online portal for overseas Sri Lankans

Thursday, 26 March 2020 19:33 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

‘Contact Sri Lanka,’ an online portal jointly created by the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Information and the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) for the benefit of overseas Sri Lankans, was launched today at the ministry.

The web link is hosted on the ministry web page www.mfa.gov.lk and also can be accessed at www.contactsrilanka.mfa.gov.lk.

Establishment of the portal is pursuant to the call made by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for coordinated efforts by all Government stakeholders to fight the COVID-19 outbreak and to harness digital technology to prompt faster and more efficient service delivery.

All Sri Lankans living abroad are invited to register voluntarily on the platform, allowing the Government of Sri Lanka to reach out and provide assistance during emergencies such as the COVID-19 outbreak.

This platform will allow the ministry to access real time data for quick action. The open access platform would also facilitate overseas Sri Lankans to interact between Government stakeholders, promoting greater access to the Government services through a single centralised point at the Ministry of Foreign Relations. This portal will also connect overseas Sri Lankans with the network of Sri Lanka’s missions abroad.

In the long term, the portal will be expanded and is expected to serve as an official source of information and facilitate overseas Sri Lankans in obtaining a wider range of digital services offered by the Government. A dedicated team of officials have already been assigned by the Ministry of Foreign Relations to respond to queries of overseas Sri Lankans and also to act as an online help desk during emergencies in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

Registration by country will also allow the ministry to propose concrete policy decisions in critical response situations such as evacuation, etc., depending on the number of emergency assistance requests generated.