Sri Lanka is a model developing country but it still faces several challenges in industrial and export sectors due to stiff competition from countries in the region, a visiting United Nations official said today.
The Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Kandeh K. Yumkella, who is on a three-day visit to the country said today that even as a model developing country Sri Lanka still faces challenges in industrial and export growth.
Yumkella said in the industrial sector Sri Lanka has demonstrated the ability to compete globally in selected sectors and it is a sound platform to build upon.
"Sri Lanka is seen as a model developing country. We are using the Sri Lankan capacity built as South-South training models," Yumkella said.
The UNIDO has provided significant support to Sri Lanka's industrial sector and international accreditation of laboratories which assisted Sri Lankan industry to compete globally.
The Director-General said Sri Lanka however, faces several challenges in industrial and export sectors due to stiff competition from other countries in the region.
"One key challenge is the logistic performance and infrastructure," he noted.
The UNIDO Director-General who arrived in Sri Lanka on June 8th met President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Rishad Bathiyutheen, and the Deputy Minister of External Affairs, Geethanjana Gunawardena.
He delivered a speech at the 9th Asia Pacific Round Table on Sustainable Consumption and Productivity and took part in a panel discussion on Industrial Development Challenges in the 21st Century, organized by the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries.
Yumkella's visit to Sri Lanka is a part of a 13-day tour in the Asian region. He was in Bangladesh from 5 to 8 June before coming to Sri Lanka. He will leave for Japan tomorrow.
Yumkella discussed the industrialization of Sri Lanka especially in the Northern and Eastern provinces where the Government and UNIDO are jointly promoting small and medium industries to provide employment and economic empowerment to some 40,000 war widows.
Technology transfer, value addition, developing renewable energy sources, youth employment, and training were also on the agenda.
He visited several UNIDO-assisted projects in the country that deal with trade capacity building and cleaner production and expressed his satisfaction that the institutions built under the projects were sustainable, have resulted in significant increase in revenue and have led to South-South cooperation.
UNIDO supports laboratories in Sri Lanka's Industrial Technology Institute and the Textile Training and Services Centre, which have provided training to countries in the region, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Maldives, Pakistan and Vietnam.
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