Sri Lanka Development Forum next month
 

BY MANJULA Fernando

THE Government has invited all multilateral, bilateral and donor country representatives for the Sri Lanka Development Forum meeting scheduled for May 16 and 17 in Kandy, an official from the Finance Ministry's External Resources Department said.

This annual meeting which was previously held in Paris or Washington will review future donor assistance for development projects in Sri Lanka and discuss Lanka's way forward with regard to peace initiative.

This Aid Group meeting is expected to be attended by former US President Bill Clinton, the UN's Special Envoy for Tsunami Reconstruction.

"The conference is not just about the tsunami," the official said adding that the donors will review overall development assistance to Sri Lanka at this meeting, an event held annually.

"However, relief assistance for reconstruction in tsunami devastated areas will be one of the main topics in the agenda," she said.

The World Bank is facilitating the gathering, sponsoring some of the items in the program.

Nearly 40 bilateral and multilateral donor agencies including the World Bank, IMF and the Asian Development Bank and around 100 foreign government representatives will attend this meeting, organised as a platform for Sri Lanka to present its future development strategies for donor review.

Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama will present national development strategies for the forthcoming year at this event.