The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified in December 2019 and the outbreak was declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in January 2020, affecting 213 countries, areas or territories around the world by mid-May 2020. Europe and the Americas are currently the most affected. The global situation could be ...

Sri Lanka Celebrates World Habitat Day 2019 “Frontier Technologies as an Innovative Tool to Transform Waste to Wealth” in Battaramulla. 7th October 2019, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka. The main National event to celebrate Word Habitat Day 2019 was held in Sri Lanka at Ape Gama in Battaramulla, Colombo District. The Chief Guest at the celebration was ...

20th June 2019, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka:  Today, 383 families in Dunsinane Estate, Nuwara Eliya were provided with 1,600 horticultural saplings in promoting eco-friendly gardening and supporting the concept of a green village. These saplings are expected to be planted in newly constructed houses which are funded by the Government of India under the Indian ...

20 January 2019, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka:  Today, 150 estate families in Nuwara Eliya were provided with the title deeds to their newly constructed houses funded by the Indian Housing Project in Plantation Areas. The title deeds were handed over to the families by the Minister of Lands and Parliamentary Reforms, Hon. Gayantha Karunathileke, and   ...

6 December 2018, Colombo. Today, UN-Habitat in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka, launched the State of Sri Lankan Cities – 2018   report at a national event held at the Bandaranaike Center for International Studies in Colombo. Since March 2017, the State of Sri Lankan Cities project has been implemented by UN-Habitat in close ...

1st October 2018, Kurunegala, Sri Lanka. The main National event to celebrate Word Habitat Day 2018 was held in Sri Lanka at the Kotawehera DS Division in Kurunegala district.  The Chief Guest at the celebrations was Hon. Sajith Premadasa, Minister of Housing and Construction. This important national event focused on the 2018 World Habitat Day ...

12 August 2018, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka: The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe handed over the first set of completed houses funded by the Indian Housing Project in the Plantation Areas, to plantation workers in Nuwara Eliya district, today. The project was implemented by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), through ...

Thursday 28 June 2018, Urban sprawl is one of the key challenges facing Sri Lanka’s cities today. Sprawl development, typically defined as uncoordinated, low density urban expansion, involves rapid land consumption as cities expand and swallow up surrounding rural areas. Globally, urban sprawl is associated with a number of undesirable city attributes, from traffic jams ...

August 2018, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. UN-Habitat is actively promoting a green environment in the plantation settlements where new houses are being constructed through the Indian Housing Project (IHP-CUP). In collaboration with community members and the Department of Agriculture, UN-Habitat has implemented a special environment programme to promote a number of greening initiatives including organic ...

April 30, 2018, Nuwara Eliya. A job fair was held by UN-Habitat in March 2018 at the Nuwara Eliya District Secretariat premises to support youth in remote villages and estates to find suitable employment opportunities. Organised in collaboration with the Non-Governmental Organisation – Berendina Employment Center (Gte) Ltd, the main objective of the job fair ...

30 March 2018, Nuwara Eliya. UN-Habitat with funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is contributing towards human development in the Nuwara Eliya district through the project Human Development Initiative through Empowerment and Settlement Improvement in the Plantation Settlements in Sri Lanka (HDI). The Project aims to empower and build resilient plantation communities with ...

5 May 2018, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Government of Sri Lanka is committed to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But what does this mean for Sri Lanka’s cities? Drawing on preliminary analysis from the State of Sri Lankan Cities Project, this article explores the opportunities and challenges for Sri Lanka’s urban policy makers ...