Sri Lanka Strategy for Sustainable Development (SLSSD):

A futuristic development strategy

Indeewara Thilakarathne

The launch of Sri Lanka Strategy for Sustainable Development (SLSSD) together with Eco-Development Guidelines and Restoration for Environmental Sustainability - Sri Lankan experience, fulfills a long felt need for sound strategies for sustainable development in Sri Lanka.

Perhaps the most important publication, among the three publications published with financial assistance from United Nations Environment Programme, is SLSSD which for the first time, has outlined a comprehensive development strategy with the vision of `a sustained economic growth that is socially equitable and ecologically sound with peace and stability’.

The Sri Lanka Strategy for Sustainable Development (SLSSD) intends realizing its objectives through series of measures aimed at eradicating poverty, ensuing competitive economic environment, achieving high degree of social development, ensuing good governance and maintaining a clean and healthy environment.

The SLSSD has identified seventeen objectives and mapped out sixty five strategies to arrive at its intended goals, perhaps, covering the entire spectrum of human activities.

Although the section `Eradicating Poverty’ offers comprehensive background information on the current status of poverty in Sri Lanka, it has clearly outlined the objectives in addressing the issue.

For instance, the three cardinal areas which hamper eradication, especially, of rural poverty have been spelled out in no uncertain terms.

Establishment of infrastructure for regionally balanced development, one of the objectives, will, in the long rung, help stamp out drastic regional disparity in development.

It is obvious that the lack of infrastructure for development in diverse regions and drastic regional disparity has effectively encouraged migration of youth en mass to cities and urban areas in seeking jobs and better standards of life.

Since the agriculture constitutes the principal source of income in rural areas, it is imperative to achieve high degree of productivity and profitability in agriculture with minimal cost to environmentally, if the rural population is to reap the dividends of dynamic economic growth.

The third objective of establishing effective social safety nets is also an important component of poverty eradication since such social security schemes would ensure minimum standard of life, above poverty level, for vulnerable sections of the population.

SLSSD, among other things, has identified that efficient utilization of limited resources with a minimal environmental cost and dynamic economy through prudent fiscal policies such as achieving low and stable inflation environment, maintaining budget deficit, healthy mix of foreign and domestic borrowing, are pre-requisites for ensuing competitiveness in the economy.

Over the years Sri Lankan economy has been transformed from an agricultural based economy to an Industrial based economy with industry, agriculture and services sectors contributing 27 percent, 17 percent and 56 percent to the GDP respectively.

It has been noted that consumption of fossil fuel has been dramatically increased mainly due to heavy petroleum dependency of electricity and transport sectors while biomass which is used for domestic cooking in more than 80 percent of households, accounting only 28 percent in the industrial sector.

The SLSSD intends to achieve the competitiveness of the economy through realizing series of objectives including developing small and medium scale industries in such a manner that play a significant role in a vibrant and internationally competitive industrial sector.

Enhancing physical infrastructure and services to cater to growing economy and trade, meeting energy requirement with minimal environmental cost and incorporating green principles into public management are also far-sighted objectives which would establish a competitive and stable economic environment encouraging substantial investments in vital sectors of the economy.

The objectives for achieving the goal of higher degree of social development including building a strong health care sector with equitable access to health care services, developing human capitals for a knowledge based society, will set a firm foundation for sound and equitable social development.

One of the by products of a strong health care sector is a healthy work force and higher life expectancy.

The other objectives such as empowering communities and their participation in decision making process, especially with regard to development and empowering women through gender equality and building a society free of violence against women and children would enable vulnerable sections including women to make a meaningful contribution to the economy.

The section on Good Governance in SLSSD spells out that improving governance framework for sustainable development and achieving peace with justice for all communities as vital components in a strategy to ensure good governance which will also contribute for the creation of stable economic environment.

The section on Clean and healthy environment details the environmental issues that Sri Lanka is currently encountering though Sri Lanka is blessed with natural resources and higher degree of biodiversity.

Land degradation, pollution in the coastal areas, threat to biodiversity due to excessive habitat fragmentation and destruction of ecosystems, solid waste management and air pollution are issues that demands immediate attention.

Sustainable management of natural resources and mainstream environmental dimension into the sectoral development planning process, have been identified as prime objectives in achieving the goal of clean and healthy environment.

As Dr. Young-Woo Park, Regional Director UNEP Regional Office, rightly spelled out at the launch of the Sri Lanka Strategy for Sustainable Development, it would be a daunting task of the dynamic Minister and his able team to translate these objectives into reality. The cooperation on the part of stakeholders in the process to implement the SLSSD is imperative if it is to make an impact on the society at large.