NEWS FROM www.adb.org/slrm Sri Lanka [email protected] ADB A Newsletter of the Sri Lanka Resident Mission of the July 2011 Asian Development Bank Message from New Country Director t is a privilege to write to you as the ADB I was Vice President, Risk new Country Director of the Sri Management with National Securities I Lanka Resident Mission. I would Clearing Corporation in New York and like to take this opportunity to prior to that, Manager and General introduce myself and also say a few Counsel at the Securities Exchanges words about ADB’s continuing support Guarantee Corporation Ltd - a to Sri Lanka. subsidiary of the Australian Stock As Country Director I will Exchange. I have also held positions oversee ADB’s public and private with the Australian Federal Attorney- sector operations in Sri Lanka. A General’s Office; the Papua New lawyer by profession with economic Guinea’s (PNG) State Solicitor’s qualifications, I have been working at Office; and in Australian and PNG law RITA O'SULLIVAN SLRM's new Country ADB for over 14 years, firstly as a firms. Director capital markets expert and later as legal As I transit fully to my new counsel, specializing in financial role, I take this opportunity to say that ensure that it is closely aligned with the sector development. For the last 10 ADB will continue to enhance its Government’s Development Policy years, I have also been responsible for longstanding development partnership Framework and ADB’s Strategy 2020. coordinating ADB’s anti-money with Sri Lanka as reflected in ADB’s I look forward to meeting the laundering/combating financing of country partnership strategy involving challenges to ensure positive and terrorism (AML/CFT) and related substantial levels of assistance in substantial developments during my trade security operations across the selected sectors. While developing tenure in Sri Lanka Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining ADB’s strategy for 2012-16 we will $90 million for Jaffna Kilinochchi Water Supply and Sanitation Project he main objectives of the (IFAD) will also lend $20 million for Jaffna and Kilinochchi the downstream development of the In this issue Water Supply and Sanitation Iranamadu Tank. The Government T <Farewell to Richard Vokes 2 Project are to improve contribution to the project will be $26 <$120 million for Power Sector 3 water supply services in Jaffna and million. <ADB-AusAID Partnership 3 Kilinochchi Districts supplying The National Water Supply < SLRM @ Masterclass 3 60,000 new water connections & Drainage Board (NWSDB), under <SLRM - JICA hold Joint Retreat 4 servicing nearly 300,000 persons, and the supervision of the Ministry of <Media Tours 4 provide sanitation infrastructure for Water Supply and Drainage and the <ADB Donates $3 million for Flood Relief 5 residents in the Jaffna Municipal Northern Provincial Council (NPC) <SLRM Conducts Bid Evaluation Training 5 Council area connecting 20,000 through the Provincial Irrigation <SLRM Marks National Women's Day 5 <SLRM Launches ADO 2011 6 households to the sewer network. The Department, under the supervision of <Bangladeshi Team Visits Sri Lanka total cost of the project will be the Ministry of Local Government and <Peliyagoda Fish Market Opens 7 $164.04 million. The Agence Provincial Councils will implement <Ambalantota-Hambantota Water Project 7 Francaise de Development (AFD) will the project. This is expected to be <World Environment Day 8 loan $48 million, and the International completed by 2015 <New SLRM Staff 8 Fund for Agricultural Development <Strengthening Safeguards In Sri Lanka 8 Farewell to Richard Vokes As you come to the end interest in the environment, wildlife and of your tenure at SLRM conservation. How to make and also at ADB, what development truly sustainable and are your sentiments? safeguard our fragile earth is the key challenge As far as ADB is . concerned, I joined the In your personal life, what are Bank in 1991, originally some of the spiritual exercises or on a 3 year leave of disciplines that you use to help absence from my teaching sustain and keep you on the right post at the University of track-given all the forces that Kent, but made the decision to stay mainly compete for your energy, time and due to the interesting and attention? challenging work as well as the people I worked Well firstly I believe strongly in ‘healthy with in ADB and the body, healthy mind’. member countries I So I have always placed a high priority visited. Looking back over on keeping fit through jogging, tennis nearly 20 years I can say M Thiruchelvam and squash. On the more ‘spiritual’, I that I have had a very have learned some meditation interesting time in ADB; techniques and also do Tai Chi…but not initially I worked as often as I should!! Interestingly, I extensively on the Mekong also find both scuba diving and countries and then since mountain trekking rather like 1997 mainly on South Asia. How did exposure to other meditation. Both are certainly very international cultures shape your therapeutic and good for the soul! This has included my time as Country career? Director in Nepal from 1999-2003 and What is your vision for Sri as Country Director in Sri Lanka since From my teens onwards I had an Lanka? late 2006. But I also had the chance to interest in Asia which led me to do my visit and work for short periods in East first degree was in Economics and As I mentioned above, Sri Lanka is a Asia and Central Asia. South East Asian Studies; I then did country of huge potential that also my PhD on Malaysia and my first job benefits from an excellent location I consider myself very lucky to have had was teaching at the Asian Institute of within the fastest growing region of the such an interesting job. Of course there Technology in Bangkok in 1978. world and next door to India, one of the is much that I will miss now that I am fastest growing economies in the world. retiring from ADB, but all good things I have always had a strong interest in With the end of the war, the prospects must come to an end….. and now is the and respect for other cultures and for increased investment and growth are time to follow some new paths. religions and this is also true of my very good. Ensuring that development is wife Sue. sustainable and inclusive will remain Saying goodbye to Sri Lanka will also key challenges. But in summary, my be tough. My four and half years here as I think this has helped me in living vision is for a prosperous and peaceful Country Director have been a time of and working in a multi cultural future for all Sri Lankans great challenge for the country but also environment. It is also a good way to renewed opportunity following the end gain a better understanding on one’s of the war. Sri Lanka is a country with own culture! immense potential and I will watch its future development with great interest. What inspires you? It is also a country of great beauty and SLRM wishes Richard variety and despite having traveled Working to make the world a better widely, there are still many places we place. Reducing poverty, improving and Sue Vokes all the have not been to or had only a short living standards and giving people time to explore…..so we will certainly morechoice in their every day lives very best in their new come back and visit the country and the are clearly important in this respect. many good friends we have made here. However, I have also had a long adventures! $120 million for Power Sector In Sri Lanka ri Lanka will receive a average and the power supply $120 million ADB loan to unreliable. It will also finance the S help expand and improve detailed engineering design of a 30 its power network to deal megawatt hydro power plant. with rising demand and The Government of Sri Lanka gaps in coverage. ADB’s Board of will provide just over $42 million, for a Directors approved the loan, along total project cost of about $162 million. with a technical assistance grant for The technical assistance will include a the Sustainable Power Sector Support $1.85 million grant from the Asian Project which will be used to build Clean Energy Fund, established by the ELECTRICITY FOR ALL BY 2016 The project new transmission lines, strengthen Government of Japan. The Ministry of distribution systems in rural areas, Power and Energy is the executing will also provide a credit line of nearly and to electrify about 12,000 agency for the project. $1.3 million to private developers for households in remote villages. The The loan was signed on 20 about 19 small hydro power facilities. project will target regions such as June 2011 at the Ministry of Finance Eastern and Uva Provinces where and Planning electrification is below the national ADB-AusAID partners with Sri Lanka's Ministry of Land and SLRM @ Masterclass Land Development ADB, under the ADB-AusAID social safeguards and development Partnership facility joined with Sri polices into a reference pack Lanka's Ministry of Land and Land specifically directed for use by Development to organize a workshop provincial and local officials who are titled “Land Governance: Issues in directly involved with affected Acquisition and Social Safeguards in communities. The Ministry is in the SLRM@MASTERCLASS Savindi Sri Lanka”. This one day workshop was process of incorporating the Jayakody Economics Assistant held on 21 June 2011 at the Galadari recommendations made after the Hotel, Colombo.