This report is the result of an inter-agency UN mission conducted under the aegis of the MAPS* led by UNDP, UNFPA and UNESCAP in Sri Lanka in 2017 at the request of the Government. In close collaboration with the Sri Lankan Government authorities and the UN Country Team, the UN MAPS mission team aimed to provide integrated policy support and to conduct consultations to inform the development of a SDG Roadmap.

The following Government offices are acknowledged for their guidance in the process and for actively participating in the consultations: The Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, in particular the Department of National Planning and the Department of Census and Statistics; the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife; the Expert Panel on SDG Implementation at the President’s Office; and the Parliamentary Select Committee on the SDGs.

* M APS is a common approach by the UN Development Agencies, endorsed by the UN Development Group, to deliver joint and integrated support to countries to achieve the SDGs.

Sri Lanka has a strong track record of human development achievements compared to other South Asian and comparable economies. An island nation that is one of the most densely populated nations in the world, it achieved the Millennium Development Goal target of halving poverty seven years ahead of the 2015 deadline. It stands at 72 out of 188 countries on the Human Development Index, despite 30 years of armed conflict.