The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will host the Sri Lanka Climate Summit 2026 on Tuesday at the Grand Marquee, Taj Samudra Colombo, putting business readiness for climate change at the centre of the national policy conversation, the chamber said.
Held under the theme “From Risk to Opportunity: Mainstreaming Climate Action into Sri Lanka’s Growth Story,” the day-long programme will examine investment readiness, disaster resilience, governance, industry transition and climate finance, The Island reported.
Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi will deliver the keynote and join the opening plenary, “Is Sri Lanka Climate Ready for Investment?”, alongside Asian Development Bank Country Director Shannon Cowlin, UN-FAO Country Representative Vimlendra Sharan and Dilmah Tea Chairman and CEO Dilhan Fernando. The session will be moderated by Ceylon Chamber Secretary General and CEO Shiran Fernando.
The disaster preparedness panel “Build Better – Before, During, and Beyond” will hear keynote remarks from Marco Toscano-Rivalta, Chief of the UNDRR Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, with climate-risk specialist Rohan Cooray and Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide Executive Director Dr. Lalanath de Silva.
A “Sector Pathways” technical session will pair UNDP Resident Representative Azusa Kubota with Environment Ministry Secretary K.R. Uduwawala, Presidential Advisor on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya and Commercial Bank Managing Director Sanath Manatunge, moderated by Ceylon Chamber Energy Committee Co-Chair Saliya Wickramasuriya.
The boardroom-focused session, “Climate in the Boardroom: From Compliance to Competitive Advantage,” will feature Climate Policy Initiative Associate Director Neha Khanna alongside Hemas Consumer Brands Managing Director Sabrina Esufally and Hirdaramani Apparel’s Dr. Leonie Vaas, with Aitken Spence’s Yasangi Muditha Randeni moderating.
The closing programme, “Unlocking Climate Finance: From Global Funds to Local Projects,” will hear from IFC South Asia Climate Anchor Rajesh Miglani, with Colombo Stock Exchange Senior Vice President Punyamali Saparamadu and Expertise France’s Shayani Weerasinghe joining Ceylon Chamber Climate Action Committee Co-Chair Dr. Ananda Mallawatantri.
The summit lands as Sri Lanka faces a series of post-monsoon climate-and-fiscal shocks, with the ADB warning of a 0.8 percentage-point GDP drag from the Middle East conflict and environment-ministry water conservation work elevating aquifer stress, while the Chamber has been visible on parallel tracks ranging from IMF programme advocacy to Mumbai investment outreach. The Chamber said the summit was expected to attract business leaders, policymakers, development agencies, sustainability professionals, financiers and technical experts.
