4 June 2026, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Marking the successful conclusion of the USD 5.5 Mn, KOICA – funded project “Strengthening Socioeconomic Resilience of Communities Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Central and Uva Provinces of Sri Lanka”, the final national steering committee meeting was held today at the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government.

Mr. S. Alokabandara, Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government chaired the hybrid meeting.  Ms. Yooli Lee, Country Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Sri Lanka, Ms.   Yunsoo Jeon, Deputy Country Director of KOICA Sri Lanka Office, Ms. Harshini Halangode, Country Programme Manager, Ms. Buddhi Liyanage, Additional Secretary and Mr. R.P.K.N. Alagalla, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Ministry, participated in the meeting. The Nuwara Eliya District Secretary, senior officials from the External Resources Department, KOICA and UN-Habitat were also present.

UN-Habitat, as the implementing agency, presented the final outputs, achievements, sustainability plan and key lessons learned of the project. The participatory methodology followed in implementing the project was highlighted by UN-Habitat as a cornerstone of its success. Implemented from 2022-2026 in Nuwara Eliya and Badulla Districts, the overall project benefitted 106,000 people through health, agriculture and water and sanitation interventions. Key outputs included improvements to water supply and water quality systems, along with the establishment of water quality laboratory facilities, the improvement of 11 community water supply schemes, 47 field maternal and child health care centres, and the upgrading of three hospital sewerage facilities including hospital waste management systems, the establishment of 20 polytunnels and 16 rain shelters for farmers, as well as the provision of home gardening support to 200 households.

Ms. Yooli Lee, Country Director of KOICA Sri Lanka, expressed her appreciation to the Government of Sri Lanka, UN-Habitat, and all project partners, stating that  “Through this initiative, important progress has been made in the water and sanitation, health, and agriculture sectors demonstrating the importance of strengthening local ownership and institutional capacity alongside infrastructure to ensure long-term sustainability.”

Mr. S. Alokabandara, Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government, commended project’s impact and its benefits to vulnerable communities in Badulla and Nuwara Eliya districts, particularly by improving access to safe water and sanitation facilities. He requested the Ministry to share the good practices and lessons learned from the project amongst other Government organizations.