CIPM Sri Lanka to play a key role in regional APFHRM initiatives

Board members of APFHRM after the conclusion of the Pune round of talks

CIPM Sri Lanka, the Nation’s leader in human resource management under the stewardship of its President Dhammika Fernando, will play a key role in several important initiatives of the regional HR body Asia Pacific Federation for Human Resource Management (APFHRM). Amongst these initiatives, CIPM Sri Lanka’s proposal for establishing an Asia Pacific Centre for Excellence in Human Resource Management in Sri Lanka and the hosting of the World Congress 2020 Sri Lanka HR Conference were of particular significance.

These and other initiatives were discussed at the APFHRM Board Meeting, in which CIPM Sri Lanka President participated as the Board Member, held recently at the Westin Hotel in Pune, India along the sidelines of the NATCON India 2018 organised by the National Institute of Personnel Management (NIPM) India.

“As the only recognised professional body for human resource management in Sri Lanka which is gaining regional recognition for many of the ground-breaking initiatives to uplift the profession and to build capacity, CIPM Sri Lanka plays a major role in helping formulate the policy framework,” said CIPM Sri Lanka President Dhammika Fernando.

Establishing of the Asia Pacific Centre of Excellence in HRM in Colombo would add a significant boost to the nation among the regional partners which have recognised the utmost importance of building up human capital in its journey towards development. The Centre of Excellence will also encourage Applied Research in HRM and studies into immerging trends in the field which will no doubt boost the opportunities while opening new vistas for the profession as a science.  This discussion paper proposed by the President to the regional body is an initiative of CIPM Past President Jayantha Jayaratna, which will be discussed in detail by the Board when they meet in Fiji. 

CIPM Sri Lanka has been awarded the honour of hosting the world’s largest HR conclave “The World HR Congress 2020” in Sri Lanka in the year 2020. This prestigious People Management conference is held every 2 years in different regions of the world under the auspices of The World Federation of People Management Associations (WFPMA) which is headquartered in Virginia, USA. The World Congress enables HR professionals to build a global community of peers, to discuss new developments in HRM, and to network with colleagues from around the world who face similar complex challenges in human resource management. 

“It is Sri Lanka’s honour and CIPM Sri Lanka’s prestige to host the World Congress 2020 in Sri Lanka. We discussed our proposed action plan running up to the World Congress 2020 at the APFHRM Board Meeting. It was decided that a planning committee be established under APFHRM to support CIPM Sri Lanka in its efforts,” he added. 

Some of the other initiatives that were discussed at the APFHRM Board Meeting included the setting up and transferring of the APFHRM website to be managed by CIPM Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka’s recommendation to induct the newly formed Maldivian HR fraternity Maldivian Association of Human Resource Professionals (MAHRP) as a full member, an effort which was spearheaded by the President of CIPM last year in his capacity as the External Affairs Committee Chairman of CIPM. 

CIPM was founded in 1959 and was subsequently incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1976. CIPM is affiliated to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Human Resource Management and to the World Federation of People Management Associations. CIPM, being a professional institute is also a constituent member of the Organisation of Professional Associations [OPA] Sri Lanka. Currently, CIPM comprises of over 1200 Professional Members who serve in both public and private organisations. It was elevated to Chartered Status by the Parliament of Sri Lanka on the 28th of September 2018 by amending the original act of establishment.