Publications

Sri Lanka: Resolution 30/1 Implementation Monitor — March 2023

This is Verité Research’s study on the Sri Lankan government’s progress in fulfilling the commitments on reconciliation and accountability in UNHRC Resolution 30/1. At the 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in September and October 2022, Resolution 51/1 was adopted. The Sri Lankan government rejected Resolution 51/1. The vote on Resolution A/HRC/51/L.1 on Sri Lanka was taken on 6 October 2022. The 52nd session of the UNHRC began on 27 February 2023. However, the update on Sri Lanka will be at the 53rd session slated to be held in June 2023.  This report analyses the government’s progress in fulfilling all 36 commitments made in UNHRC Resolution 30/1 from March 2022 to February 2023.

Retirement Funds Face Regressive Taxation in Sri Lanka

In September 2023, Sri Lanka became the only country to restructure local currency debt by exclusively targeting retirement savings funds, excluding all others. This was justified by claiming that retirement savings were receiving preferential tax treatment. This insight finds both empirical and analytical evidence to the contrary, and shows that retirement funds face adverse, not preferential tax treatment.

Tamil Executive Summary: Online Proactive Disclosure under the RTI Act in Sri Lanka

Verité Research developed the methodology for this assessment in 2017 with the support of the World Bank and assessed the compliance of 55 public authorities with their online proactive disclosure requirements under the RTI Act. The same methodology was adopted in relation to the 29 cabinet ministries and the Offices of the President and Prime Minister as of July 2022, for the period 01 December 2022 to 31 December 2022.

Sinhala Executive Summary : Online Proactive Disclosure under the RTI Act in Sri Lanka

Verité Research developed the methodology for this assessment in 2017 with the support of the World Bank and assessed the compliance of 55 public authorities with their online proactive disclosure requirements under the RTI Act. The same methodology was adopted in relation to the 29 cabinet ministries and the Offices of the President and Prime Minister as of July 2022, for the period 01 December 2022 to 31 December 2022.

English Executive Summary : Online Proactive Disclosure under the RTI Act in Sri Lanka

Verité Research developed the methodology for this assessment in 2017 with the support of the World Bank and assessed the compliance of 55 public authorities with their online proactive disclosure requirements under the RTI Act. The same methodology was adopted in relation to the 29 cabinet ministries and the Offices of the President and Prime Minister as of July 2022, for the period 01 December 2022 to 31 December 2022.

Online Proactive Disclosure under the RTI Act in Sri Lanka: Ranking Public Authorities

Verité Research developed the methodology for this assessment in 2017 with the support of the World Bank and assessed the compliance of 55 public authorities with their online proactive disclosure requirements under the RTI Act. The same methodology was adopted in relation to the 29 cabinet ministries and the Offices of the President and Prime Minister as of July 2022, for the period 01 December 2022 to 31 December 2022.

Sri Lanka falls behind Least Developed Countries in Trade Facilitation

While there may be numerous factors contributing to Sri Lanka’s sluggish export performance, this background note highlights an important one that puts Sri Lankan exporters at a disadvantage: the failure of the government to facilitate trade by making import and export procedures efficient, less costly, more predictable, and transparent. The comparison is done by using the notifications on progress made by countries under the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) as a yardstick. The analysis finds that Sri Lanka’s progress falls below not only its competitors and peers but also the least developed countries. Out of the 125 developing and least developed countries, Sri Lanka (ranked 104th) is among the countries that have made the least progress in implementing measures to facilitate trade. Based on the findings, this note provides three lessons Sri Lanka can learn from the experience of others and provides an indicative list of ten measures Sri Lanka can prioritise to implement.

Foregoing Competition to Secure Funding for Public Infrastructure

In 2010, Sri Lanka established a unique framework, overseen by the Standing Cabinet Appointed Review Committee (SCARC), to handle unsolicited proposals (USPs) for public infrastructure funding. These USPs inherently bypass traditional competitive bidding in procurement. The report, ‘Foregoing Competition to Secure Funding for Public Infrastructure: One-Third of Funding Secured was Non-Concessional’, scrutinizes this framework. It reveals a significant discrepancy between the framework’s intended purpose of improving USP evaluation and the actual outcomes, with a substantial portion of the funding secured through SCARC being non-concessional in nature. The report identifies two vulnerabilities in the existing procurement framework that need urgent attention: the Cabinet’s unchecked power to modify procurement guidelines, and SCARC’s ability to approve projects non-compliant with even the minimum criteria outlined without repercussions.

ISSUE 3: 17 MAY 2023 – VERITÉ RESEARCH DEBT UPDATE

This edition provides coverage and analysis of the IMF Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) and Sri Lanka’s progress on the 100 commitments outlined in the IMF program

Regulating social media in Sri Lanka: An Analysis of the Legal and Non-Legal Regulatory Frameworks in the Context of Hate Speech and Disinformation

Regulation of social media in Sri Lanka encompasses both a formal and alternative non-legal framework. The study explores the existing legal and non-legal frameworks to regulate the spread of disinformation and hate speech on social media. Thereby, it presents potential implications of the spread of disinformation and hate speech on social media in the specific context of ethno-religious violence in Sri Lanka.