'SRI LANKA NEXT' in Blue and Green

'Sri Lanka Next', a landmark campaign to take Sri Lanka towards the BlueGreen era, was formally initiated on January 6, 2016 under the aegis of President Maithripala Sirisena at the BMICH.

A series of strategic policy announcements and national initiatives and activities have been planned throughout the year to familiarise all stakeholders of economy, including the private and state sectors and civil society, about the mitigation and adaptation strategies that Sri Lanka must adopt to face the challenge of climate change.

Conceptualised with the aim of integrating all sections of the Sri Lankan society to participate in Sri Lanka's journey towards the global vision to limit the rise of global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, the 'Sri Lanka Next' campaign will propel the nation to the next level of sustainable low emission development paradigm, where opportunities arising from the emerging new green economy and blue economy would be tapped.

The President, who is also the Minister of Mahaweli Development and Environment, will steer the campaign under his personal direction in conjunction with the Central Environmental Authority (CEA), the Forest Department's REDD+ initiative together with Department of Wildlife Conservation, National Climate Secretariat (NCS) and all other relevant institutions in the government and Private Sector and international agencies.

The key focus of this national initiative is to ensure that Sri Lanka as a nation shifts towards clean renewable energy and divests from fossil fuel consumption for the industrial and transport sectors. This will reduce reliance on fossil fuel based fertiliser inputs and help adopt organic agricultural practices, while adhering strictly to good waste management practices and emissions reduction, enabling commercial and domestic activities.

A low carbon emission development model would be adopted with green and blue economic policies becoming the main pillar for the nation's future path in sustainable economic and social development.

President Maithripala Sirisena speaking at the event said, "I am proud to announce the 'Sri Lanka Next' campaign as the cornerstone of Sri Lanka's thrust in becoming a nation with a strong eco friendly conscience which will be backed by supporting policies and action.

'Sri Lanka Next' is a call to policy makers, politicians and government officials to plan the development activities and mechanisms in an environmental friendly manner. It is also a call to each and every Sri Lankan to take the BlueGreen baton ahead for a sustainable future.

It is our vision to emerge as a leader in global eco-civilisation by protecting nature, by limiting the use of natural resources to be within the sustainable ecological capacity of the country; respecting critical social and environmental limits when striving for economic prosperity; and building the resilience of vulnerable communities in the country by encouraging climate change mitigation as well as implementation of adaptation measures."

A series of a week-long events post the launch of Sri Lanka Next have been organized to commence during the Environment week which falls for the first week of June 2016, which will consist of a conference, exhibition and a symposium on the BlueGreen Economy, followed by a film festival and a student led event.

The grand finale of the Sri Lanka Next campaign year will be the highly coveted 2016 Presidential Awards on Environment. The events have been structured such that all section of the society and economy can be engaged. The Blue Economy is the oceanic economy and marine resources. The Green economy would include ensuring all industries production becomes eco-friendly, developing Green Agriculture and Green Energy.