Thursday Jan 29, 2026
Thursday Jan 29, 2026
Thursday, 29 January 2026 05:24 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Mission Chief for Sri Lanka Evan Papageorgiou
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday reaffirmed its solidarity with Sri Lanka and expressed readiness to support the country in its efforts to safeguard macroeconomic stability and promote resilience and sustainable growth.
The reassurance follows the completion of the visit by an IMF team led by Mission Chief for Sri Lanka Evan Papageorgiou to Sri Lanka from 22 to 28 January to hold discussions on the impact of Cyclone Ditwah.
During the mission, the IMF team engaged with authorities and relevant stakeholders to understand the economic and social impact of the cyclone, including the damage to infrastructure and loss of livelihoods. Discussions focused on the fiscal response to the natural disaster, as well as on the implications for monetary policy and financial sector stability. Meetings included in-depth exchanges on the authorities’ policy intentions going forward, their financing needs, and how the IMF can best support Sri Lanka’s recovery and reconstruction efforts under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement.
“As Sri Lanka starts rebuilding, the authorities are committed to safeguard the gains that were achieved on fiscal and debt sustainability, strengthen public investment management including project reprioritisation and implementation, and ensure spending is executed transparently and in compliance with the Public Financial Management Act. They are determined to continue strengthening social safety nets to protect the poor and vulnerable, who are disproportionately affected by the cyclone,” Papageorgiou said via a statement.
“We plan to field an IMF mission at the earliest possible juncture to resume discussions on economic policies for the next review under the EFF. We reaffirm our solidarity with Sri Lanka and readiness to support the country in its efforts to safeguard macroeconomic stability and promote resilience and sustainable growth,” he added.
The IMF mission held meetings with President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Labour Minister and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Secretary to the Treasury Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Senior Economic Advisor to the President Duminda Hulangamuwa and other senior Government and CBSL officials. The mission also met with representatives from the private sector, civil society organisations, and development partners. The IMF in its statement thanked the authorities for the excellent collaboration during the visit.
