Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya told the 60th anniversary commemoration of the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex that politics could not be separated from development, and that political choices shaped every decision made in governance.
Reflecting on Sri Lanka’s recent political and economic experiences, the Prime Minister spoke on the relationship between politics, governance and development, highlighting the challenge of balancing governance, economic recovery, social protection and institutional reforms while responding to public expectations and maintaining democratic accountability.
She also underscored the government’s policy focus on recognising paid and unpaid care work as a key part of the national economy, particularly the contribution and challenges faced by women in the care sector — themes the ILO’s South-4-Care learning hub has been pressing in Sri Lanka under its “5Rs” framework (recognise, reduce, redistribute, reward, represent) earlier this cycle.
The Prime Minister and her delegation arrived in the United Kingdom on Monday night and were received at Heathrow Airport by Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the UK Nimal Senadheera, former British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Richard Wildash and other diplomatic officials.
During the rest of her visit, the Prime Minister is also scheduled to address a session at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford and hold discussions with scholars and students, before meeting senior UK government representatives — including Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper — and Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.
Source: Newswire.
