Sri Lanka ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in November 1993 being among the first 50 countries to ratify it. As part of its obligations, Sri Lanka released its first national communication on climate change in 2000, and the subsequent national communication in 2011. After the submission of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) as per the Paris agreement in 2015, Sri Lanka officially submitted the updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the UNFCCC in 2016. Since then, Sri Lanka has been communicating through various means its intentions to become net zero country by 2050. Most recently, Sri Lanka released The Third National Communication of Climate Change dated October 2022, and it is seen that this report has placed a major emphasize on the need for structural and policy changes in order to increase the effectiveness of its climate action.
In Sri Lanka the subject of climate change is coming under the purview of ministry of environment, under which the Climate Change Secretariate (CCS) is placed, and the ministry is acting as the national focal point for the UNFCCC. While CCS plays the coordination role with other line ministries, Department of Meteorology (DoM), Disaster Management Centre (DMC), and National Building Research Orgnisation (NBRO) are the other ministries and agencies that plays significant roles in their respective areas. It is also important to note the role of the Sustainable Development Council (SDC); the nodal government institution with the responsibilities for coordination, facilitation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the country. Given this context, the report emphasizes on the need for a complex institutional mechanism in order to tackle the issue of climate change, as it is required to coordinate actions of several line ministries and agencies.
According to the third national communication, the national policies, programs, and institutional arrangements of climate change are being developed at a fast pace. The report while identifying the formulation of the National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) in 2012 as a major milestone of the national agenda, it highlights the need for updating it to deal with the emerging trends such as measurement reporting and verification of greenhouse gases(MRV), carbon trading and offsetting, data management, and climate finance, etc. The report further highlights the need for putting in place a coordinating mechanism for the preparation of National Communications through a multi-sectoral approach as well as a mechanism for data sharing between climate action institutions at national, provincial, and district levels.
One of the important aspect the report gives emphasis on is the need of a dedicated legal provision through a parliament act to deal with climate change issues, as the general provisions provided by the National Environment Act is in sufficient. Further, it highlights that the CCS should have legal mandate through a parliament act for long-term inter ministry and inter-institutional coordination with clear roles and functions for each stakeholder. This mandate will facilitate smooth implementation of climate change laws and policies, activities under sectoral processors, and activities at national, provincial and district levels. However, the report reveals that the Climate Change Commission Act for Sri Lanka is being drafted at present and looking forward to the act to have clear mandate and power vested on it which will strengthen effective ground level climate actions. It also looking forward the act to facilitate establishing a coordinating mechanism to implement the laws and policies of the act, while giving it the power to take actions against those who violate the provisions of the act.
References:
The Third National Communication of Climate Change in Sri Lanka https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/Third%20National%20Communication%20of%20Sri%20Lanka.pdf, p 65, 135
Sri Lanka Sustainable Development Act, No. 19 of 2017- https://sdc.gov.lk/en/about