Sustainable Development Goals flag raised

Saturday, 26 September 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, along with the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Council of Sri Lanka, on Thursday celebrated the international SDG Flag Day by hoisting the SDG flag during a ceremony at the embassy premises.

Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Sri Lanka Wiebe de Boer, UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka and Secretary to the President Marc-André Franche, and Sustainable Development Council of Sri Lanka Chairman Nandika Sanath Kumanayake jointly raised the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) flag at the embassy premises, marking the SDG Flag campaign in Sri Lanka. Colombo-based diplomats and key representatives of civil society contributing to Sri Lanka achieving the SDGs attended yesterday’s event.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador de Boer said: “By raising the SDG flag together we draw attention to the enormous importance to continue striving for the Sustainable Development Goals. All around the world, in many countries the SDG flag will be raised at many buildings, companies, educational institutions, libraries and municipalities to show the importance of implementation of SDGs towards 2030.”

UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka and Secretary to the President Marc-André Franche said: “When multilateralism is under threat, a shared framework like the Sustainable Development matters more, not less. It gives government, civil society, the private sector and partners a common language and shared metrics to track progress transparently. It also supports planning that outlasts electoral cycles and connects domestic effort with international support at a time when fiscal space is constrained.”

The SDG flag-hoisting event at the embassy was followed by a discussion between the diplomatic community and civil society representatives critically looking at where Sri Lanka stands in their journey towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The animated discussion focused on what Sri Lanka has achieved so far, as well as challenges ahead for the country and opportunities available towards the Agenda 2030, the global action plan adopted by all 193 United Nations member states in September 2015 to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.