• CRVS Cabinet Paper to be presented to the Cabinet next week

• UNDP support for Election Commission reform initiatives

• 4 Sectoral Forums to resolve disputes in Energy, Education, and Health sectors

• Infrastructure development with 336 computers and printers for Divisional Secretariats

A special bilateral discussion was held today (18th) on accelerating the ‘OneRegistry’ joint pro-gramme to digitalize Sri Lanka’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system, strengthen-ing regional administration and local government institutions, and fast-tracking the electoral reform process.

This official meeting between the Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Professor Chandana Abayarathne, and the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Mr. Marc-André Franche, along with the delegation, took place at the Ministry premises located at Inde-pendence Square, Colombo 07.

Speaking at the meeting, UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Marc-André Franche pointed out that this 'Unified Civil Registry' programme, led by UNDP and the World Health Organization (WHO), has commenced and is currently underway. System mapping, capacity building, and baseline surveys have already been successfully completed. Notably, the ‘mobile clinics’ programme implemented by UNDP in support of the Registrar General has been highly commended, even at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Mr. Marc-André Franche further informed that the necessary arrangements have been made to con-clude the project by November 2027.

Training of Public Officers and Infrastructure Development

Under the scope of training public officers and infrastructure development, Registrar General Mrs. S. Jaladeepan mentioned that training activities are being conducted from the Registrar level up to upper management under the ‘One Chip Fellowship’ programme to bring about an attitudinal change among public officers during the digitalization process. The modules for the first quarter have been completed, and the second quarter is currently active. Furthermore, a committee of experts has been appointed to review regulations related to digital platforms. Infrastructure has been requested for 336 Divisional Secretariats, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed to provide the required printers for this purpose.

Regional Administration, Disaster and Waste Management

The discussion also focused on taking steps to empower regional administration to strengthen the disaster management system, given that the role of Divisional Secretaries is extremely crucial in the recovery process and the distribution of relief goods. Under the UN-backed Recovery Framework, support has been requested to implement a national strategy for regional-level waste management. In this regard, the Kaduwela Municipal Council was highly praised as a prime example for establishing a 'Waste-to-Energy Cente' designed to withstand natural disasters, using its own resources and UNDP technical assistance. Under the CDLG project which concluded last year, digital solutions have been introduced for tax collection and public complaints. UNDP is also ready to provide more sustainable and cost-effective solutions for applications intended to be expanded island-wide by the Prime Minister's Office.

It was discussed as a significant achievement that Cabinet approval has been received for a mecha-nism to prevent and resolve disputes across multiple sectors. Based on the policy approval granted by the previous government, the new government has also decided to move this forward. Under this mechanism, specialized Sectorial Forums are scheduled to be established for prominent sectors such as Energy, Education, Health, and Transport.

Support for Electoral Reforms

For the first time, the UNDP has come forward to support the reform initiatives of the Election Commission. The Ministry will bear the responsibility of training public servants to streamline the election vote-counting process and enhance the efficiency of officers. The first meeting of the Com-mittee on Electoral Reforms is scheduled to be held in the near future.