Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision and Strategic Path PRESIDENTIAL EXPERT COMMITTEE (PEC) Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision and Strategic Path Presidential Expert Committee (PEC) Report on Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision and Strategic Path January 2019 Chief Editor: Mohan Munasinghe Bureau: Saman Kelegama | Dushni Weerakoon | Hemanthi Ranasinghe W. L. Sumathipala | Siri Hettige | Savithri Goonesekere Lead Authors: Praveen Abhayaratne | S R K Aruppola | Abdul Azeez Gamini Batuwitage | Neloufer de Mel | Anura Ekanayake Shavi Fernando | Udan Fernando | P.A. Gooneratne Savithri Goonesekere | Siri Hettige | Saman Kelegama Amal Kumarage | Jagath Munasinghe | Mohan Munasinghe Hemanthi Ranasinghe | Kamal Ranatunge | Rohan Samarajiva W. L. Sumathipala | Asanga Tillekeratane | Mano Tittawela Dushni Weerakoon | Madhura Wehella Compilation: Presidential Secretariat i Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision and Strategic Path TABLE OF CONTENTS Messages iv Chairman’s Foreword and Acknowledgements viii E. Executive Summary 1 2. EC. Introduction and Clusters 9. ES. Sectors 20. ET. Cross-cutting Themes 32. EV. 2030 Vision - Summary I. Introduction and Overview 37 38. I1. Background 39. I2. Scope and Structure 41. I3. Sustainable Development Vision and Balanced Inclusive Green Growth Path 45. I4. Structural breakdown and integration process 47. I5. Sri Lanka - Brief Overview C. Clusters: Economy, Environment, Society 50 51. C1. Current Status 55. C2. Economy: Critical Issues, Impacts and Solutions 73. C3. Environment: Critical Issues, Impacts and Solutions 82 C4. Society: Critical Issues, Impacts and Solutions 89. C5. Sustainability Perspective – 2020 and Beyond S. Sectors 95 96. S1. Agriculture and Food 102. S2. Education 112. S3. Energy 133. S4. Health 138. S5. Marine Resources 150. S6. Transport 162. S7. Urban Development and Physical Planning 177. S8. Water T. Cross-cutting Themes 189 190. T1. Climate Change, Disasters and Air Quality 199. T2. Ethics, Values and Citizenship 207. T3. Gender 214. T4. Governance 221. T5. Innovation, Industry and Technology 229. T6. International Relations 233. T7. Poverty and Inequality ii Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision and Strategic Path 246. T8. Reconciliation, Security and Peace 258. T9. Youth Trans-generational Perspective R. Recommendations and Conclusions 267 268. RO. Overview 271. RC. Clusters 279. RS. Sectors 289. RT. Cross-cutting Themes Annexes 303 303. Annex A. Report Contributors 305. Annex B. Presidential Expert Committee on Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision iii Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision and Strategic Path Message from the President I am pleased to issue this message to the report on Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision and Strategic Path, prepared by the Presidential Expert Committee (PEC) appointed in January 2017. An earlier draft served as the base document in a public consultation process launched in August 2019 to formulate consistent national policies that will guide Sri Lanka to become a truly sustainable nation by the year 2030. The sustainable development path recommended by the PEC is unique to Sri Lanka. The 'Balanced, Inclusive, Green Growth' (BIGG) also goes hand in hand with our nation's long tradition of adhering to a 'middle- path' approach that has helped us remain a resilient nation for millennia. I applaud this innovative path suggested by the PEC, chaired by Professor Mohan Munasinghe, who is an internationally renowned expert on sustainable development. The painstaking work of the PEC is reflected in the report as it covers all aspects of sustainable development and highlights risks and suggests remedies. I am thankful to all members of the PEC for their commitment and dedication to this national endeavor. The commitment of Sri Lanka to make development more sustainable is exceptional. In September 2015, I stood in front of world leaders at the General Assembly of the United Nations and pledged to provide leadership for Sri Lanka to take the foundational steps necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030. Now, the Presidential Experts Committee on Sustainable Development has completed its report. My government is firmly committed to ensure that the country's growth is sustainable. To this effect, we have passed one of the first acts of Parliament in the world on sustainable development, which provides for the appointment of the Sustainable Development Council, which has now been established. Further, Sri Lanka is the first country in the world to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee on Sustainable Development. All these initiatives equip Sri Lanka well to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. While the first draft was a concise, accurate report written by a panel of credible experts, I believe that for this to be a truly consensual national vision, it needed to be owned by the people, politicians of different parties, civil society, and the business community. For this, we provided all stakeholders the opportunity to comment, criticize and provide constructive feedback on the draft document, through the National Sustainability Discourse. Following the discourse, the draft document was revised to produce a truly consensual national vision based on citizen’s feedback. I sincerely hope that everybody will actively engage in the implementation of this Report to shape our nation's collective future and make Sri Lanka a sustainable, upper middle-income Indian Ocean hub that is economically prosperous, competitive and advanced, environmentally green and flourishing, and socially inclusive, harmonious, peaceful and just. Maithripala Sirisena President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka iv Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision and Strategic Path Message from the Prime Minister I must take this opportunity to thank Prof. Mohan Munasinghe and his team of experts for painstakingly writing this document. Making this document accessible to the citizens and opening up a discourse to encourage public feedback on it, is commendable and is a sign of the participatory democracy we have rebuilt in the past 3 years. For this vision to become a reality, our activities should join hands with the external world. Sri Lanka is a small island right in the middle of a large world. For thousands of years we have benefitted from being located strategically. Unfortunately, we seem to have forgotten this competitive advantage of the location. Our vision is to reclaim that mantle of international connectivity. We have to leave behind decades of inward-looking policies that restricted our capacity to grow. Sri Lanka is a nation that prizes the values of democracy, and the National Sustainability Discourse helped to bring all its citizens together in a spirit of unity and strength. Just as everyone stood together to set the country free from the grip of colonialism back then, on January 8, Sri Lankans came together to set the nation free from the tyranny of dictatorship, corruption, nepotism and familial rule; ensuring our return to the hallowed community of democratic nations that assure its people freedom and justice. And now, the task before us is to ensure that the hard-won freedom retains its meaning and significance, and faces the biggest natural crisis at our hands, climate change, with courage and preparation. It is a task that calls for all of us to be united, irrespective of religious, ethnic and political affiliations. This indeed is the vision of the Government. In the eyes of the world, Sri Lanka has been restored to its position as a country that abides by the revered principles of democracy. Yet, before us is a formidable task of ensuring lasting peace and co- existence for all citizens while building on the concept of sustainable social economic development for the country. The National Sustainability Discourse has helped us strive to understand the challenges before us as a nation and to be determined to give ourselves wholeheartedly to the noble vision of taking our country forward. Ranil Wickremesinghe Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka v Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision and Strategic Path Message from the Chairman of the Sustainable Development Council As the Chairman of the Sustainable Development Council, it gives me great pleasure to issue this communique on the publication of the National Sustainable Development Vision. This document, a draft of which served as a basis on which citizens engaged in a policy discourse on how to shape Sri Lanka's path up to year 2030, was prepared by the Expert Committee of H.E. the President with a great deal of commitment and I take this opportunity to appreciate their efforts in this regard. I believe this is the first national effort of Sri Lanka to create a blue print to set out its long term economic, social and environmental goals for the next 12 years reflecting the country's strengths and capabilities. This is a sign of a true participatory democracy and an effort that ensures people's engagement in policy making. The six-month nationwide discussion on the contents of the first draft of the Vision 2030 document helped create consensus on where citizens stand on particular issues. The Sustainable Development Council supports this long-awaited effort, as sustainable development can only be achieved through true citizen participation. The Sustainable Development Council will build on the public consensus on the Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision document, in order to inform our way forward to make Sri Lanka a truly sustainable country by 2030. Udaya R. Seneviratne