- Error
Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa
FOREIGN MINISTER PROF. G.L. PEIRIS CO- CHAIRS MEETING WITH MINISTER NAMAL RAJAPAKSA ON UPGRADING THE DIGITALIZATION OF CONSULAR SERVICES AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY
Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris co-chaired a meeting with the Minister of Youth & Sports, Minister of Development Co-ordination and Monitoring & State Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development Namal Rajapaksa, at the Foreign Ministry on 06 October 2021. State Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Market Diversification Piyankara Jayaratne and State Minister of State Minister of Ornamental Fish, Inland Fish & Prawn Farming, Fishery Harbour Development, Multi day Fishing Activities and Fish Exports Kanchana Wijesekera participated in the meeting.
At the outset, Foreign Minister Peiris emphasized the urgent need to enhance the current level of digitalization of consular services at the Ministry in order to facilitate expeditious delivery of services to the public.. Minister Namal Rajapaksa outlined the government’s digitalization National Plan and stated that the government intended to issue by 2023, a digital national identity number with biometrics. This digital identity number would be specific to every citizen and would be applicable from the birth certificate to the death certificate and connected to different areas of a citizen's activity such as, among others, the bank account, tax file, insurance, passport and school admission. Therefore, Minister Namal Rajapaksa stated it was imperative that supporting institutions are also digitalized and on a par with this process.
Given that a large number of the Sri Lankan public avail themselves of the consular services of the Foreign Ministry, it was agreed that the current Electronic Document Attestation System (e-DAS), used by the Consular Division of the Foreign Ministry needed to be urgently upgraded, or a new system introduced. The aim would be to digitally integrate the Consular Division with other institutions such as the Police Department, Registrar General’s Department and the Department of Examinations, to facilitate foreign employment through SLBFE and its agents.
Chairman, Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) Oshada Senanayake stated that this issue needed to be approached in a holistic manner and solutions mapped from a citizen’s point of view taking into consideration that a large number of service seekers come from rural areas. Therefore, there was an imperative need to avoid the physical presence of the service seekers as much as possible. The ways and means to operationalize a single payment gateway was also discussed. It was decided to appoint an inter-agency committee to develop a modus operandi to implement this process by the second quarter of next year.
Senior officials of the Foreign Ministry, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment and the ICTA took part in the discussion.
Foreign Ministry
Colombo
08 October 2021
Financial contribution to the COVID-19 related activities in Sri Lanka
SRI LANKA COMMUNITY IN OMAN DONATES COVID 19 RELATED MEDICAL EQUIPMENT TO SRI LANKA
The Sri Lankan community in the Sultanate of Oman donated a consignment of medical equipment including ICU beds to treat COVID – 19 patients. Sri Lankan Quantity Surveyors Fraternity, bankers and other professionals in Oman were the contributors to this donation which will be distributed to hospitals.
The donation from the Sri Lankan community in Oman was handed over at a ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry in Colombo. Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage handed over the donation to State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals Prof. Channa Jayasumana and Secretary of the State Ministry Dr. R.M.S.K. Rathnayake.
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Oman O.L. Ameerajwad and the staff of the Embassy coordinated the donation and arranged for its dispatch to Sri Lanka.
Foreign Ministry
Colombo
07 October 2021
Over 17,000 Overseas Sri Lankans register on ‘Contact Sri Lanka’
Over 17,457 Overseas Sri Lankans (OSL) had by Saturday noon (28 March), registered on the ‘Contact Sri Lanka’ Online Portal of the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Of these, 6773 are from the Middle East region, 1892 from Europe, 1302 from South Asia, 1028 from North America and over 6000 from other parts of the world.
This portal jointly created by the Ministry of Foreign Relations and the Information & Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) for the benefit of Overseas Sri Lankans, was launched on Thursday (26 March 2020). It is hosted on the Ministry web page www.mfa.gov.lk and can also be accessed at www.contactsrilanka.mfa.gov.lk. A dedicated team of officials have been assigned by the Ministry of Foreign Relations to respond to queries.
A bulk of the 700 inquiries received through ‘Contact Sri Lanka’ so far, relate to the possibility of return to the country. However in light of the special request made by the Government yesterday (27 March) to Sri Lankan expatriates urging them to safely remain where they are now until the risk of COVID-19 virus is minimized and the disease is contained in Sri Lanka, the Ministry has taken several measures through its Mission network to continue to facilitate and address the immediate concerns of the Overseas Sri Lankans. Other common inquiries include the welfare of student populations, extension of visa, lack of financial support for those unemployed, non-payment of salaries, closing down of commercial establishments and questions on quarantine upon arrival.
Over the past two weeks since disruptions to travel, Sri Lanka Missions abroad have been particularly vigilant and prompt in taking action towards addressing the impending issues faced, particularly by the student populations. Some of the measures put in place included ensuring that hostels remain open, that food supply/provision is maintained by the respective establishments, and that if they require medical assistance they are directed to medical facilities, wherever possible, to seek extensions of university/school payments of students. The Missions have also been directed to maintain close engagement with educational establishments with Sri Lankan students and the student community to continue to provide for their welfare.
With respect to Sri Lankan employees in the Middle East and Asia in particular, Missions will work with host governments to secure fair treatment and concessions for Sri Lankan expatriate workers to the maximum extent possible. This includes safeguarding the rights of the workers in relation to payment of salaries and ensuring job security.
As for the broader population of Sri Lankans, Missions have also been requested to liaise with Sri Lanka Associations, organizations and places of worship established by Sri Lankans, in providing assistance to those Sri Lankans facing difficulty and are in need of assistance in the face of the rapidly evolving situation. The Missions have been requested to mobilize to provide basic sustenance and medical facilities, in full measure.
Earlier on 18 March, Sri Lanka requested foreign governments to facilitate appropriate visa extensions for Sri Lankans currently visiting their countries, in view of the control measures issued by most countries due to COVID-19. A number of states have positively responded to this request, and the Sri Lanka Missions have been asked to communicate the modalities for this process to those affected, while engaging other host Governments to work out reciprocal arrangements, as Sri Lanka extended this facility to all foreign nationals presently in Sri Lanka since mid-March.
Ministry of Foreign Relations
Colombo
28 March 2020
KOREA DONATES A FURTHER CONSIGNMENT OF COVID 19 RELATED MEDICAL EQUIPMENT TO SRI LANKA
The Government of the Republic of Korea through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) donated a consignment including PCR detection kits and 05 PCR machines for rapid testing valued at USD 450,000 to Sri Lanka. This generous contribution is in addition to previous donations of COVID 19 related medical equipment.
The donation from the Republic of Korea was handed over at a ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry in Colombo. Korean Ambassador Woonjin Jeong handed over the donation to Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage. The donation was thereafter handed over to Prof. Channa Jayasumana, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals and Dr. R.M.S.K. Ratnayake, Secretary of the State Ministry.
Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea enjoy close ties of friendship and cooperation. Since the outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic, the Republic of Korea has extended valuable COVID 19 related assistance to Sri Lanka.
Foreign Ministry
Colombo
06 October 2021
More Articles...
- SRI LANKA URGES FOREIGN STATES TO EXTEND VISAS OF VISITING SRI LANKANS
- SRI LANKA- SAUDI ARABIA COOPERATION IN MULTIPLE SPHERES EMPHASIZED DURING COURTESY CALL ON FOREIGN MINISTER G.L. PEIRIS BY THE AMBASSADOR OF SAUDI ARABIA
- Foreign Ministry facilitates outward movement of foreign nationals
- EGYPTIAN ENVOY IN COLOMBO BIDS FAREWELL
Page 86 of 231