PRESS RELEASE
Statement of H.E Mohan Peiris at the UNOPS Executive Board
Colombo 15 June 2021 – Friday, 11 June 2021; The Annual Session of the Executive Board of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS, Item 15: United Nations Office For Project Services (UNOPS) segment was held virtually. Grete Faremo, the Under Secretary-General and UNOPS Executive Director presented the 2021 Annual Report and updated the impact the agency has made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Grete said, “Looking forward, UNOPS is committed to building on achievements – towards a better future, supporting our partners to deliver on the SDGs”.
In his speech, H.E Mohan Peiris, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations commended UNOPS’s complementarity of the Sri Lanka Health Response to the COVID-19 pandemic. UNOPS mobilized procurement systems to provide emergency medical supplies worth USD 8.9 Million to contain the spread of the virus and increase testing capacities. He said that UNOPS has been a partner of Sri Lanka’s socio-economic development agenda since 1998, notably expanding its operations in 2005, in the aftermath of the devastating Tsunami, in assisting the Government response and reconstruction process. He continued to mention that UNOPS’s work in Sri Lanka relating to the development of sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure, procurement services, capacity building and project management is noteworthy. UNOPS engages in the sectors of education, fisheries, roads, health, water supply systems, flood control, sanitation and integrated solid waste management; and most recently supporting the Sri Lanka pandemic response.
The Honorable Mohan Peiris noted that with funding from the UN COVID-19 Multi-Partner Trust Fund, in partnership with the ILO and the Labor Secretariat, in 2020, UNOPS has conducted procurement of goods to support micro and small enterprises in Kalutara and Gampaha Districts in Sri Lanka, which has contributed to the improvement of occupational safety and health in the workplace in the wake of the pandemic.
He stated, “Sri Lanka welcomes the support of UNOPS during the pandemic and commends the agency for its efforts to support our Government’s response to the crisis and for its assistance in increasing the long-term capacity of our healthcare system. We look forward to this continued partnership in our COVID response efforts and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.’
For more information please contact:
UNOPS: Amenthi Jasinghe – Partnership Development Manager – [email protected]
