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Friday, 6 February 2015 00:45 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen (left) addresses UNIDO Director General Li Yong (third from right at right side of table) during the bilateral sessions yesterday in Colombo
Sri Lanka has called on the UN for direct and wider engagement in its industry sector for the first time and the UN’s apex industrial body, whichhas responded with its “best support and commitment” to the President’s new Government,announced six new industrial projects for the country on 5 February in Colombo. “UNIDO is ready to move ahead with the Lankan people and the new Government. Six new, strong, UNIDO projects are in the pipeline for Sri Lanka, which include industrial parks, climate change, chemical and waste management, and leather processing,” announced Vienna-based visiting UNIDO Director GeneralLi Yong yesterday, addressing the bilateral session held at the Ministry of Industry and Commerce last morning. Minister of Industry and CommerceRishad Bathiudeenled the Sri Lankan official team that met Yong. Also present were Additional Secretary Asitha Seneviratne, Department of Commerce DG R.D.S. Kumararatneand other top officials. Yong was joined by UNIDO Focal Point Colombo Head Nawaz Rajabdeen. This is the first time that a Vienna-based UNIDO Director General is officially touring Sri Lanka. “Let me stress that it is time that Sri Lanka receives a fully-fledged country office of UNIDO. With the 100 day-programof the newly-elected President being implemented with a strong emphasis on support for industry and business, establishing a fully-fledged country office will send a strong positive signal to the industry and export sectors,” said Bathiudeen. He added: “I wish to thank UNIDO on behalf of people of Sri Lanka for the continued and valuable assistance extended to our country. President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe attach great importance to the work of UNIDO in Sri Lanka and everywhere. Our industry sector contributes almost one-third of our GDP and therefore it’s an important driver for us. In fact we lead in South Asia when it comes to industrial contribution rate to overall GDP. Given that we are aiming at becoming an upper middle income economy, the importance of this only tends to increase. I am pleased to inform you that almost 85% of Sri Lanka’s industrial economy is concentrated on manufacturing.” “We continue to stress the importance of sustainable industrial development, which should be an inclusive and unitary concept. The experiences of the developing countries have shown that development aid alone is not adequate and that manufacturing also played a crucial role in development,” added Bathiudeen. Yong, addressing the bilateral session, said: “I am very pleased to let you know that UNIDO will continue and commit our best to support President Maithripala Sirisena’s new Government to implement more industrial development programs. We have enjoyed such a good relationship with Sri Lanka for a long time and under the new Government, it is time to expand this relationship. Sri Lanka is a very important member of UNIDO. There are many forms of natural, agro and human resources in Sri Lanka. The long history of national and international engagement by Sri Lanka is very commendable.” He asserted that notable progress has been made by Sri Lanka in increasing its per capita income and poverty eradication. “The World Economic Forumin its Global Competitiveness Report has described Sri Lanka’s economy transitioning from Factor-Driven stage to Efficiency-Driven stage. This is very encouraging to see. No single country in this world has reached highest stage of economic development without developing its vast industrial sector. I also appreciate your Government’s support to the 15th Conference in Lima in which we passed the Lima Declaration where inclusive and sustainable development has begun to be operationalised. We have implemented 89 projects and programs in Sri Lanka so far during our 40 years in Sri Lanka.” Yong, who was also a member of the high profile international advisory body ‘China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED)’, was a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the China Central Bank for a decade and played a key role in China’s cooperation with the World Bank and ADB. He was elected to lead UNIDO in 2013. Yong is also scheduled to meet with other high officials of the Government of Sri Lanka during his visit.
