COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has affected many countries. It is not only a health crisis, it is also a social and economic crisis.

In this context, a comprehensive analysis on the ‘new normals’ is needed to understand the socioeconomic impacts and recovery needs of the COVID-19 outbreak in Sri Lanka.

To better understand how Sri Lanka can navigate these ‘new normals’, a multi-stakeholder high-level virtual dialogue was jointly convened by the the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) of the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Sri Lanka on 23 April 2020 which saw a rich discussion take place on several themes around the recovery of this country.

The dialogue saw the participation of several leading actors both in the public sector and the private sector including Dialog Axiata PLC, Dilmah, Global Compact, Hayleys, Hemas, Pickme, Unilever and Virtusa; fellow colleagues from the ADB, IFC, ILO, IMF, IOM, and World Bank; think tanks and academics from the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Munasinghe Institute of Development, University of Colombo and the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA); civil society organizations such as Sarvodaya and representatives from other bodies from the Sri Lanka Retailers Association, Employers Federation and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

This is a rapid assessment of the Socio Economic Impact, Response and Recovery in Sri Lanka compiled by UN Sri Lanka offices (UNDP, UNICEF, UN Resident Coordinator’s Office with FAO, ILO, IOM, UNODC, WFP, WHO) and annexed is the summary of outcome notes from the Mutil Stakeholder High Level Virtual Dialogue which took place on 23 April 2020.