Women’s quota in local authority elections: Outcomes will fail the promise
    by |09 February 2018|Interviews & Articles
    In August 2017, an amendment to the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance announced a 25% quota for women in local authorities. However, the drafting of the law undermines its stated intention. The quota for women is designed to fallshort of the...
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    Sri Lanka’s economic competitiveness: A microcosm of its politics?
    by |08 February 2018|Interviews & Articles
    In 2017, Sri Lanka’s country score in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) declined to 4.09 out of 7. This is the lowest score Sri Lanka has received since 2010. Sri Lanka’s ranking in 2017 also declined to 85th out of...
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    Ceylon Chamber of Commerce to hold seminar on February 16
    by |08 February 2018|Verité in the News
    In light of the new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed last month, which is the first FTA Sri Lanka has signed in over a decade, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) will hold a seminar titled “Expand your Business Opportunities...
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    Ceylon Chamber organizes seminar on SL-S’pore FTA
    by |08 February 2018|Verité in the News
    In light of the new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed last month, which is the first FTA Sri Lanka has signed in over a decade, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will hold a seminar titled ‘Expand your business opportunities through...
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    Sri Lanka – Singapore FTA Seminar organized by CCC on Feb. 16
    by |06 February 2018|Verité in the News
    In light of the new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed last month, which is the first FTA Sri Lanka has signed in over a decade, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will hold a seminar titled, ‘Expand your Business Opportunities Through...
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    Low ranking for SL in global assessment of budget transparency
    by |05 February 2018|Verité in the News
    Sri Lanka has been ranked 60 among 115 counties in the world on the recent assessment of the 2013/2014 and 2016/2017 budget transparency processes. The ranking was released on the Open Budget Survey, the world’s only independent assessment of information...
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    Restricting the sale of liquor to women: Is the public debate misinformed?
    by |04 February 2018|Verité in the News
    On 10 January 2018, the Minister of Finance and Mass Media amended Excise Notification No.666 of 31 December 1979. It is widely believed that by this act the Minister revoked a prohibition on the sale of liquor to women. The...
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    Sri Lanka Budget Openness, amongst lowest ranked countries in South Asia
    by |03 February 2018|Verité in the News
    Sri Lanka’s budget openness in the latest survey has scored 44 out of 100, coming in next to last in South Asia, tied with Pakistan. Open Budget Survey, which scores 115 countries on the openness of their budget process, is...
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    Transparency and the Budget
    by |02 February 2018|Verité in the News
    Transparency is a daily battle in Sri Lanka, but it is often hijacked or replaced by political rhetoric. What are often obscured in the war of words are important functions by the Government such as formulation of the Budget, which...
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    Capacity limitations at FinMin key reason for lack of budget transparency: think tank
    by |01 February 2018|Verité in the News
    By Chandeepa Wettasinghe The Finance Ministry does not have the capacity to analyse and plan a budget, which has led to the lack of budget transparency, proposals, which may not be in the public interest and poor discretionary spending through...
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