In its latest Human Development Report for 2024, the United Nations highlighted Sri Lanka as one of the three standout nations in Asia and the Pacific for its agility in governance. Alongside India and the Philippines, Sri Lanka was acknowledged for its speed and efficiency in responding to new information, unexpected events, or shifting priorities without major disruption.
The report notes that the 2022 crisis, initially an opportunity for national change, later transformed into an unprecedented economic and political crisis, leading to widespread civic unrest. However, this unrest created an enabling environment for diverse actors, irrespective of social class, religion, or political affiliations, to unite and advocate for change, according to the UNDP.
Despite the structural weaknesses in governance exposed by the ouster of the president and prime minister, the collective action of organized protesters, civil society, and various political segments helped uphold democratic values and facilitated a peaceful transition to a new government, as indicated in the UNDP’s Regional Human Development Report 2024 for Asia and the Pacific.
The UNDP emphasized that these collective efforts brought hope to the country, emerging from previous cycles of violent unrest, by engaging multiple stakeholders in a crisis mitigation and recovery process. At its core, agility, as per the UNDP, involves flexible governmental structures, processes, and mindsets that enable rapid adjustments as situations evolve. This includes mobilizing both human and financial resources swiftly to address problems before they escalate and seizing opportunities before they dissipate.
The report further highlighted the benefits of public participatory budgeting in promoting agility. Engaging citizens in budget decisions fosters an understanding of trade-offs, making them less sharp and creating new options for government action.
