‘Celebrating Partnerships’ showcases European Union’s support to district development in Sri Lanka

Celebrating Partnerships, an exhibition on the European Union’s support to district development in Sri Lanka, was jointly inaugurated in Colombo on 12 December by Chief Guest Deputy Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs Dr. Harsha de Silva, Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Tung-Lai Margue, and United Nations Resident Coordinator Una McCauley.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Margue said, “Over the past five years, the European Union Support to District Development Programme (EU-SDDP) has contributed significantly to building infrastructure and capacities, to generating growth and creating jobs for people most in need. The exhibition captures the work carried out in seven districts to build partnerships and networks of collaboration with individuals and organisations to improve the quality of life for the people in these areas.”

“My hope is that the EU-SDDP has helped to lay the groundwork for a brighter and more prosperous future for people who had suffered during the war,” she added.

Celebrating Partnerships, showcased in Mannar, Vavuniya, Ampara and Batticaloa, highlights the work done by the EU-SDDP to support the poorest communities in Sri Lanka by helping to provide basic infrastructure and services that benefit the local economy. The EUR 60 million program covers the Batticaloa, Mannar, Vavuniya, Ampara, Monaragala, Anuradhapura, and Puttalam districts reaching half a million people. It is jointly implemented by five UN agencies –UNDP, UNICEF, UNOPS, FAO, and ILO – and the IFC, a member the World Bank Group.

Pix by Ruwan Walpola