Defence Secretary attends as Chief Guest at the Round Table Discussion on
“Sri Lanka’s Economic Security in 2024: Evaluating the Outlook and Risks”
June 07, 2024
A closed-door Round Table Discussion (RTD) was conducted to evaluate the state of Sri Lanka’s economy one year after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program. The event took place at the Nandimithra Auditorium, Ministry of Defence, in Sri Jayawardenepura, Kotte, on Thursday (Jun 06), with Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne as the Chief Guest.
Overlooking Director General and Acting Director (Research) of the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), Colonel Nalin Herath warmly received the Chief Guest and the dignitaries.
On March 21, 2024, the IMF team and the Government of Sri Lanka concluded a staff-level agreement to complete the second review of the IMF Programme. This agreement, pending IMF Board approval, has the potential to unlock another tranche of financing for Sri Lanka.
Recognizing the critical juncture, the INSS, under the Ministry of Defence, hosted this closed-door RTD. The discussion delved into critical issues, including an assessment of how Sri Lanka’s economic security and outlook have evolved since 2022, an analysis of the economic challenges facing the country in an election year, and a discussion on policy priorities essential for enhancing national economic security and building a strong, prosperous future.
The event was moderated by Dr. Ganeshan Wignaraja, Visiting Senior Fellow at ODI Global, United Kingdom and former Executive Director of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute (LKI).
The distinguished Panel of Speakers consisted of the Assistant Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Chandranath Amarasekara, Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo Senior Professor H.D. Karunaratne and the Executive Director of the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) Dr. Herath Gunatilake.
The audience consisted with the Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa, Additional Secretary (Administration) Gaminie Mahagamage, Additional Secretary (Defence) Harsha Vithanaarachchi, Chief of National Intelligence Maj. Gen. Ruwan Kulatunga (Retd), Military Liaison Officer of the Ministry of Defence Maj. Gen. Dhammika Welagedara, economists, academics, researchers, policymakers, INSS Staffers and representatives from the Tri Forces and Police.
