Sri Lanka advances DPI plans with UNDP, development partners

Sri Lanka is advancing its digital public infrastructure (DPI) agenda through discussions with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and international development partners on governance, investment and the country’s next phase of digital transformation.

Government officials met in Colombo with UN Assistant Secretary-General Kanni Wignaraja, UNDP Resident Representative Azusa Kubota and representatives of donor agencies to discuss expanding Sri Lanka’s digital infrastructure through DPI and financing future projects with international financial institutions.

The Sri Lankan delegation included Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne, Chief Advisor to the President on Digital Economy Hans Wijayasuriya and Ministry of Digital Economy Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala.

Officials also reviewed progress on OneRegistry, the national civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) modernization initiative launched earlier this year with support from UNDP and the World Health Organization. As previously reported by Biometric Update, the project is digitizing Sri Lanka’s paper-based civil registration system to create a foundation for interoperable digital public services and the country’s broader digital identity strategy.

Wignaraja reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s digital transformation through the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, describing digital public infrastructure as a key enabler of more efficient and inclusive public services.

The meeting reflects Sri Lanka’s continued effort to build the governance, financing and institutional partnerships needed to support flagship initiatives including OneRegistry and the planned rollout of the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SL-UDI) system.

Article Topics

CRVS  |  digital identity  |  digital public infrastructure  |  OneRegistry  |  Sri Lanka  |  UNDP