The Hon. (Dr.) Dammika Patabendi - Minister of Environment

¶ 01 As a tropical island nation located in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is already experiencing the severe impacts of climate variability. Sri Lanka has been a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since 1993, and in 2016 it signed the Paris Agreement. The primary aim of the Paris Agreement is to strengthen the global response to climate change by keeping the rise in global temperature well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. It also seeks to enhance countries’ capacity to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change, strengthen climate resilience, promote low-greenhouse-gas-emission development, and ensure that financial flows support low-emission, climate-resilient pathways.

¶ 02 Accordingly, Sri Lanka has undertaken various measures to achieve these goals and is already implementing actions for both climate adaptation and mitigation. Set out below are contributions and activities undertaken thus far by the Climate Change Secretariat in support of international climate action efforts.

¶ 03 1. Preparation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - Under the Paris Agreement’s global commitment, Sri Lanka has progressively advanced its climate ambition through three NDCs. - The first (2016) set initial mitigation and adaptation targets. - The second (2021–2030) provided more ambitious targets and a basis to assess progress. - The third (NDC 3.0), amended with Cabinet approval on 22 September 2025 and submitted under the Paris Agreement, aligns a comprehensive set of climate actions with national development priorities for implementation during 2026–2035. - The NDC framework underpins national climate policy across 16 sectors. Six mitigation sectors are: electricity (energy), transport, industry, waste management, forestry, and agriculture. Nine adaptation/vulnerable sectors are: agriculture, livestock, fisheries, water, biodiversity, coastal and marine, health, urban planning and human settlements, and tourism and recreation. - Implementation is carried out by the Inter-Agency National Task Force, the Ministry of Environment, the Climate Change Secretariat, and sectoral planning and oversight committees. The Ministry of Environment leads national monitoring and reporting on NDC progress. - Budgetary resources must be allocated for unconditional measures, technical assessments, and monitoring frameworks; capacity building and staff training should be funded for institutions actively engaged in implementation.

¶ 04 2. Carbon Net Zero Roadmap and Strategic Plan for 2050 - Despite relatively low emissions, Sri Lanka’s CO2 emissions are trending upward with economic growth. - Sri Lanka has pledged, via the July 2021 updated NDCs, to achieve net zero carbon by 2050, contributing to global efforts to limit warming well below 2°C and pursue 1.5°C. - The 2050 Roadmap and Strategic Plan will detail actions to reduce GHG emissions and increase carbon sequestration across energy, transport, industry, waste, agriculture, and forestry, with due attention to gender equality and socio-economic and environmental sustainability, and broad stakeholder acceptance.

¶ 05 3. Updating the National Adaptation Plan (2026–2035) - The updated NAP (2026–2035) represents Sri Lanka’s second-generation national framework for adaptation, building on the first NAP (2016–2025), with expanded scope and implementation readiness. - Sector coverage expands from nine to thirteen: Agriculture, Export Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Water Resources, Coastal and Marine, Tourism and Recreation, Human Settlements and Infrastructure, Health, Energy, Industry, and Transport. - For the first time, costed provincial adaptation plans will be prepared to ensure national guidance is complemented by regional ownership aligned to local risks and priorities.

¶ 06 4. Financial mechanisms for adaptation and mitigation, and related contributions - Adaptation Fund: Sri Lanka has accessed funding for concrete adaptation projects and programmes in water management, agriculture, coastal protection, disaster risk reduction, and ecosystem-based solutions to strengthen resilience in vulnerable communities. - Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD): Established at COP28 (2023). Its first operational phase, the Barbados Implementation Modalities (BIM), aims to deliver initial interventions addressing climate-induced loss and damage. For 2025–2026, the FRLD Board allocated USD 250 million under BIM and launched the first Call for Funding Requests (CFR) at COP30, with submissions from 15 December 2025 to 15 June 2026. The Fund emphasizes country-led, bottom-up proposals through the FRLD Secretariat. - Green Climate Fund (GCF): Sri Lanka, as the National Designated Authority, has secured funding for 2 national projects, 3 regional projects, and several readiness initiatives—significant investments in climate resilience. Focus areas include water management, sustainable agriculture, coral reef conservation, and energy-efficient cooling systems. Despite low per capita emissions (1.02 tCO2e/person), Sri Lanka targets a 4% unconditional and 10.5% conditional GHG reduction versus BAU. Through GCF-funded initiatives like the Wew Gam Pubuduwa project and the Knuckles watershed project, climate resilience is being built for vulnerable communities while promoting low-emission development. Sri Lanka has one Direct Access Entity (DFCC Bank), is working to establish additional Direct Access Entities through four nominated banks, and is developing strategic frameworks to mobilize international and domestic climate finance.

¶ 07 - Strengthening resilience of vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka and India to climate change: - Focuses on strengthening adaptive capacity and food security of vulnerable communities via a regional, integrated approach. - Enables use of Last Mile Climate Services (LMCS) to plan and implement targeted adaptation measures suited to varied livelihoods and localities, with livelihood diversification and enhanced linkages to existing financial services. - Targets smallholder farmers in inland dry zones, with a focus on the needs and barriers of women and vulnerable groups, including marginalized communities, women- and youth-headed households, and food-insecure households. - By enhancing LMCS, improving access to tailored agromet and hydromet advisories, and supporting climate-resilient livelihoods, Sri Lanka advances evidence-based adaptation to reduce risks in highly vulnerable regions, while ensuring gender inclusion and environmental and social safeguards.

¶ 08 (ii) Decisions taken at COP 30 related to developing countries like Sri Lanka

¶ 09 1. Financial Access Strategy - Loss and Damage Fund – Barbados Implementation Modalities (BIM): - USD 250 million initial allocation for the pilot phase; grants per project range USD 5–20 million. - Application window: 15 December 2025 – 15 June 2026 (6 months). Board approvals expected from July 2026 onwards. - Action: Prepare funding proposals for a direct budget support modality. BIM does not yet guarantee rapid disbursement or direct community access; Parties urged rapid development of such policies.

¶ 10 - New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on Climate Finance (positioning): - Agreement at COP29 (Baku) to mobilize USD 300 billion annually by 2035 from developed countries, and broadly USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035 from all sources. - Action to be considered: Use reporting mechanisms, in consultation with other relevant ministries, to position Sri Lanka as a viable sustainable investment destination.

¶ 11 - Adaptation finance: - COP30 agreed to triple adaptation finance to USD 120 billion by 2035; modalities remain unclear. - Aim to continuously engage in dialogue to craft a framework with concrete roadmaps using UNFCCC submissions.

¶ 12 2. Adaptation - National Adaptation Plan (NAP): - Action: Complete and submit the NAP to access GCF support and signal implementation readiness. - Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA): - COP30 adopted 59 voluntary, non-binding indicators across seven sectors for tracking adaptation progress. - Action: Align national adaptation tracking with GGA indicators for better international visibility.

¶ 13 3. Just Transition - Belem Action Mechanism (Just Transition): - COP30 established a new Just Transition Mechanism under the UAE Just Transition Work Programme, recognizing the need to avoid exacerbating debt burdens and the importance of grant-based finance. Further development through 2026; operational by COP31. - Actions: - Submit views by March 2026 on mechanism design; frame energy reforms as “Just Transition” to access technical assistance. - Use Just Transition language in bilateral debt negotiations; explore debt-for-nature swaps where feasible.

¶ 14 4. Technology - Belem Technology Implementation Programme: - Action: Submit topics via the UNFCCC submission portal for the 2027 global dialogue, using country statements to highlight Sri Lanka’s technology implementation challenges, priorities, and capacity needs. - CTCN Reforms: - Action: Prepare to utilize reforms coming into effect in 2027, particularly regarding cooperation with operating entities of the Financial Mechanism and long-term impacts, in coordination with NDEs.

¶ 15 5. Belem Gender Action Plan - Adopted at COP30 for implementation from 2026–2034, with five priority areas including leadership, finance, data, and protection of women environmental defenders. - Action: Integrate core elements into action plan mechanisms and create a roadmap demonstrating commitment to equality, particularly to attract investment towards women-led entrepreneurship.

¶ 16 6. Implementation initiatives - Global Implementation Accelerator and Belem Mission to 1.5°C: - Action: Engage in information sessions (June and November 2026) to align national plans with the accelerator framework.

¶ 17 Action taken to implement COP 30 decisions - Sri Lanka’s principal actions for implementation in 2026, aligned with COP30, focus on NDC 3.0 (2026–2035), committing to: - 20.09% reduction in cumulative GHG emissions vs. BAU, comprising 8.11% unconditional and 11.98% conditional upon international financial support, alongside a 4.49% enhancement in net carbon removals. - Measures address six mitigation sectors (energy, industry, transport, agriculture, waste, forestry) and nine adaptation sectors, prioritizing access to climate finance, technology transfer, public–private partnerships, and social inclusion for vulnerable populations, including youth and women.

¶ 18 Key planned actions: - Achieve 70% renewable energy in electricity generation by 2030 and beyond; prohibit new coal-fired power plants; achieve a 30,000 GWh demand reduction. - Reduce industrial emissions by 25% by 2035 through circular economy practices, eco-industrial parks, and low-global-warming-potential refrigeration systems. - Decrease waste-sector GHG emissions by 20.8% via integrated waste management and adherence to the waste management hierarchy. - Minimize agricultural post-harvest losses, promote value addition, and advance sustainable forest management to achieve 32% forest cover by 2035. - Preserve blue carbon ecosystems and implement nature-based solutions. - Update the National Adaptation Plan (2026–2035) and the Carbon Net Zero 2025 Roadmap and Strategic Plan.