Sri Lanka will host the SEARIC Summit for the first time this September, organisers have announced, bringing the annual regional gathering of the South East Asia Rotaract Information Centre to Colombo.
The three-day summit runs from September 11 to 13 at the Pegasus Reef Hotel and is expected to attract more than 500 delegates from six countries, Hiru News reported on Wednesday.
It is being hosted by Rotaract in Rotary International District 3220, which covers Sri Lanka and the Maldives. SEARIC functions as a regional platform linking Rotaract districts across South East Asia, coordinating information exchange and joint projects between them. Rotaract is Rotary International’s wing for younger members.
Theme centres on technology and work
The summit is themed “The Role of Technology in the Future of Careers and Services”, and organisers said sessions will examine how emerging technologies are reshaping industries, workplaces and community service. Delegates will take part in leadership and professional development sessions, discussions, cultural programmes and networking events across the three days.
Organisers framed the event as an opportunity to strengthen ties between Sri Lankan Rotaractors and counterparts elsewhere in the region, and to present the country as a venue for regional youth gatherings.
Those named in connection with the announcement were Dr. Jude Lucian, District Rotaract Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives; Akhila Wijetunga, chair of the Sri Lanka summit; Kumar Sundararaj, Rotary District 3220 Governor; and Nalaka Amaratunga, chief executive of the destination management sector at John Keells Holdings.
What was not disclosed
The announcement did not name the six participating countries, give a registration or delegate cost, or say which editions were held previously or where. No figure was given for the event’s expected economic contribution.
The announcement reached newsrooms as a press release and was reprinted in near-identical wording across several business and aggregator sites. Hiru News is the only verified Sri Lankan newsroom to have carried it; no other verified outlet had published its own report as of Wednesday evening.
Rotary bodies have been visible in Sri Lanka this year, including a Rotary-backed programme to equip 100 schools with smart classrooms and a Rotary Club of Colombo centennial project that funded 100 intraocular lenses.
