Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Presenter: Mr. Chatura Perera
Location: New York
High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF)
Ministerial Segment (13-15 July 2026)
General Debate
National Statement of Sri Lanka
Chair,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
I am honored to address this High-Level Political Forum. With only four years remaining until 2030, we meet at a moment when progress across many of the Goals remains far behind where it must be. This year's theme calls for action that is transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated.
Chair,
Sri Lanka remains committed to advancing the 2030 Agenda through inclusive growth, innovation, strengthened international cooperation and multi-stakeholder partnerships, in line with national priorities and global commitments.
The Goals under review this year are central to advancing sustainable development and improving the lives of our people.
Sri Lanka continues to advance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of economic recovery and structural reforms. According to the Global Sustainable Development Report 2025, Sri Lanka ranks 93rd out of 167 countries with a score of 67.9, reflecting moderate progress with an improving trend.
We have also expressed interest in presenting our Third Voluntary National Review at the 2027 HLPF.
Chair,
Sri Lanka has made notable progress across these Goals. Near-universal electricity access has been achieved, and renewable sources now account for around 55 percent of electricity generation. We are working towards generating 70 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Access to piped water supply has expanded through continued investments in infrastructure and service delivery, reaching close to two-thirds of our population. While important challenges remain, particularly in sewerage coverage and climate resilience, efforts are continuing to strengthen the sustainability of the sector through long-term investment and improved management of water resources. We look forward to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference as an opportunity to accelerate action on water and sanitation and strengthen support for developing countries.
We are also advancing more sustainable and inclusive urban development, strengthening air quality monitoring, and investing in innovation, productive capacity and more resilient transport networks to support long-term growth.
These were meaningful progress achieved, amidst a challenging global environment, constrained fiscal space, debt burdens, data gaps, food and energy insecurity and climate shocks and repeated climate vulnerabilities. Chair,
We wish to reiterate in achieving challenges ahead one size will not fit all, Sri Lanka and many other developing countries know which solutions work in our national contexts. The harder challenge is securing the resources to put them in place.
Recently, Sri Lanka was classified as an Upper Middle-Income Country. Middle income countries face intensifying and interconnected pressures (debt, climate, inequality, limited concessional access), and income-based classification fails to capture these vulnerabilities. Current development cooperation frameworks result in middle-income countries relying largely on loans instead of grants, while remaining ineligible for sufficient concessional financing from multilateral development banks (MDBs), including for climate finance.
We therefore call for the timely and effective implementation of the Sevilla Commitment, alongside meaningful reform of the international financial architecture and durable debt solutions that protect hard-won development gains.
Sri Lanka also reaffirms the importance of bridging digital divides, within and among countries, so that digital technologies can accelerate progress across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Chair,
Sri Lanka remains committed to advancing sustainable development through inclusive growth and stronger partnerships built on equity and solidarity. We stand ready to work with all partners to deliver the transformations this moment demands.
Thank you.