50 schools commit to UN SDG Action Campaign

50 schools in Sri Lanka, which have been selected to receive funding to design and implement a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) project in their communities, were recognised recently at a ceremony in Colombo.

In an effort to reach out and mobilise youth to advocate for and work towards the SDGs, the UN in Sri Lanka together with the Ministry of Education in partnership with Hatton National Bank and the Presidential Secretariat launched the ‘SDG Action Campaign’ in 2017. The campaign encourages school students from across the country to design and implement an SDG based project in their communities. For the SDGs to be reached, everyone needs to do their part: Governments, the private sector, civil society and people. Achieving these 17 SDGs is everyone’s responsibility.

Over 700 schools submitted their proposals over the past few months and upon evaluation by the partners of the campaign, 50 SDG-centred projects have been selected representing the 25 districts of Sri Lanka. These selected schools convened in Colombo Thursday (5 April), where they received recognition and were awarded a financial grant and technical support for implementation over the next five months.

Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, ILO Country Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives Director/UNCG Chair Simrin Singh, Secretary to the Ministry of Education Sunil Hettiarachchi, Director, Presidential Taskforce on Environmental Conservation Dr. Upali Indrasiri and Hatton National Bank Chief Human Resource Officer/Deputy General Manager L. Chiranthi Cooray attended the event.