Foreign Ministry launches ‘Contact Sri Lanka’ online portal

Friday, 27 March 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

All Sri Lankans living abroad encouraged to sign up
Portal to improve coordination, engagement with Govt. stakeholders
Also expected to support any Sri Lankans by offering assistance

‘Contact Sri Lanka’, an online portal jointly created by the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) for the benefit of overseas Sri Lankans, was launched yesterday at the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

The web link is hosted on the Ministry web page www.mfa.gov.lk and can also be accessed at www.contactsrilanka.mfa.gov.lk, the Ministry said in a statement.

Establishment of the portal is pursuant to the call made by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for coordinated efforts by all Government stakeholders to fight the COVID-19 outbreak, and to harness digital technology to prompt faster and more efficient service delivery.

All Sri Lankans living abroad are invited to register voluntarily on the platform’s basic functionalities, allowing the Government of Sri Lanka to reach out and provide assistance during emergencies such as the COVID-19 outbreak. This platform will allow the Ministry to access real-time data for quick action. The open access platform would also facilitate overseas Sri Lankans to interact with Government stakeholders, promoting greater access to Government services through a single centralised point at the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

This portal will also connect overseas Sri Lankans with the network of Sri Lanka Missions abroad.

In the long term, the portal will be expanded, and is expected to serve as an official source of information which will facilitate overseas Sri Lankans in obtaining a wider range of digital services offered by the Government.

A dedicated team of officials has already been assigned by the Ministry of Foreign Relations to respond to queries of overseas Sri Lankans, and also to act as an online help desk during emergencies, in consultation with relevant stakeholders. Registration by country will also allow the Ministry to propose concrete policy decisions in critical response situations such as evacuation etc., depending on the number of emergency assistance requests generated.

For easy facilitation, the portal also includes a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) which will serve as a guideline for generic queries. This user-friendly platform can be easily navigated via the internet, on any browser or interface, and can be accessed by all registered users to direct a query or request assistance, even from a mobile phone.

The data provided through this portal is protected to ensure the privacy of overseas Sri Lankans and will not be shared without the consent of the users.

The ICTA will be working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Relations in expanding the features of the portal in stages, to create a comprehensive online service platform for overseas Sri Lankans via the ‘Contact Sri Lanka’ Portal.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations is hopeful that this integrated platform will elevate its existing service delivery for overseas Sri Lankans to a higher level, particularly allowing rapid response in times of emergencies. All Sri Lankans living abroad are invited to benefit from this portal.

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