High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Singapore, Senarath Dissanayake met with the Senior Minister of State, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Communications and Information of Singapore, Tan Kiat How, on 19 November 2024. The meeting focused on fostering stronger cooperation between the two countries in the areas of national development, urban planning, and technological collaboration.
During the meeting, the High Commissioner reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with Singapore, particularly in advancing the country's national development agenda, and briefed the Minister on the recently concluded presidential and parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka. He further outlined the new government's vision, highlighting its focus on housing development, effective land use management and digital economy, areas that are considered as key priorities for Sri Lanka’s sustainable growth.
Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How elaborated on Singapore’s approach to integrated planning and development, emphasizing the challenges in optimizing land use, given the city-state’s limited land resources. He underscored the importance of aligning urban planning and land use policies with national objectives to maximize efficiency and ensure sustainable growth.
The Minister also shared insights into REACH (Reaching Everyone for Active Citizenry @ Home), Singapore’s Whole-of-Government platform for citizen engagement. He explained how REACH connects the government and people on matters of national and social importance, fostering an inclusive approach to governance and policymaking.
Discussions also delved into potential collaboration in the ICT sector, with the High Commissioner presenting Sri Lanka’s advancements in the field and highlighting the on-going partnership between the two nations, particularly in artificial intelligence, and expressing interest in further expanding this cooperation to harness emerging opportunities.
Recognising the importance of leveraging each country’s unique strengths to address contemporary challenges and create opportunities for sustainable development, the possibility of sharing expertise in land use planning, urban planning, construction management, national park management and policymaking was discussed.
Minister Tan welcomed the proposals and expressed enthusiasm for further collaboration, emphasising the potential for both nations to learn from each other’s experiences and innovations. The Minister also expressed his willingness to welcome a ministerial delegation from Sri Lanka to explore the proposals in greater detail and discuss specific initiatives for joint action.
Minister and Head of Chancery of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Singapore, Ahamed Razee accompanied the High Commissioner during the discussion.
High Commission of Sri Lanka
Singapore
03 December 2024
