WB kicks off public consultations on pandemic recovery

• Seeks engagement to select sectors for funding prioritisation  
• Private and public sectors, think tanks and other stakeholder views welcomed 
• WB currently portfolio is $ 2.3 b across 19 projects

The World Bank yesterday launched public consultations to update its Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) in Sri Lanka, the organisation said in a statement. 

This online platform will enable the bank to engage with the Sri Lankan public and development partners and seek their views on the most pressing development opportunities and challenges for the country.

The SCD is a country-specific report compiled by the World Bank Group in close consultation with the respective national authorities, stakeholders and the public. This report forms the basis of the Country Partnership Framework, the strategy which outlines how the World Bank Group’s engagement with the country can best contribute towards achieving the goals of ending absolute poverty and boosting shared prosperity in a sustainable manner.

“We are keen to hear from a wide range of development stakeholders – the Government, private sector, citizens from different provinces, think tanks and civil society groups,” said World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka Faris H. Hadad-Zervos. “Their inputs will help the SCD to focus on areas that will have the maximum impact in fostering greener, resilient and inclusive recovery and growth for Sri Lanka.” 

The 2021 SCD will be an update on the previous SCD, taking into account the new and pressing issues stemming from the unprecedented health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The online surveys are open from 6 May-20 May, and they are in Sinhala, Tamil and English. This process is complemented by focus group discussions with representation from public and private sectors, as well as civil society organisations. The findings of the consultations will be reflected in the next update of the SCD.

The current World Bank portfolio in Sri Lanka consists of 19 ongoing projects, with a total commitment value of $ 2.33 billion in a variety of sectors, including transport, urban, agriculture, water, education, and health.