Hon. Arun Hemachandra, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment of Sri Lanka, led Sri Lanka’s delegation to the Joint Committee Meeting on labour cooperation, from 21-22 September 2026 held after a gap of several years in Doha. The visit focused on strengthening bilateral and labour ties, enhancing the welfare of Sri Lankan workers in Qatar and deepening development partnerships.
As part of the high-level component of the Joint Committee Meeting, Deputy Minister Hemachandra called on H.E. Dr. Ali bin Saeed bin Samikh Al Marri, Minister of Labour of the State of Qatar on 21 September 2026. He conveyed Sri Lanka's condolences on the passing away of the former Qatari ruler, His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and referred to the recent visit to Doha by Hon. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education of Sri Lanka to offer condolences in person.
During the discussions, both sides expressed their desire to further strengthen ties in foreign employment. Deputy Minister Hemachandra stated that Sri Lanka's focus was now on exploring more opportunities in skilled employment in Qatar and further stated that it would be mutually beneficial for both countries. The Deputy Minister thanked His Highness the Amir and the Government of Qatar for hosting the Sri Lankan community numbering approximately 140,000 expatriates across construction, hospitality, fintech and other fields and for ensuring their welfare. He stated that Sri Lanka is ready to deploy semi-skilled and skilled professionals in areas such as construction technology, healthcare, hospitality and ICT, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.
During the opening remarks of the Joint Committee Meeting with H.E. Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman bin Nasser Al-Thani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour, Deputy Minister Hemachandra discussed the need for stronger protection for Sri Lankan workers and new professional opportunities in the healthcare sector. The Deputy Minister also briefed the Undersecretary on recent Sri Lankan government measures to support migrant workers, including a pension scheme, a loan scheme and digital services such as Lankakonnect.
The technical sessions held on 22 September 2026 was co-chaired by Mr. Hamad Faraj Hamad Dalmouk, Assistant Undersecretary for Migrant Labour Affairs from Qatar and Dr. M.M.S.S.B.Yalegama, Additional Secretary, Development/Foreign Employment from Sri Lanka. Details on improving existing issues regarding low/unskilled migrant workers, recognition of skills and qualifications of Sri Lankan migrant workers, increasing professional category job opportunities in the IT, Healthcare and fintech sectors were discussed.
In addition to attending the Joint Committee Meeting Deputy Minister Hemachandra also held a number of meetings with key stakeholders in Qatar including the First Vice Chairman of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce, Deputy Director General of Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD) and Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Qatar Charity.
During his meeting with H.E. Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Twar, First Vice Chairman of the Qatar Chamber of Commerce, the First Vice Chairman expressed interest in the real estate sector and in networking with Sri Lankan entrepreneurs and business organizations. The Deputy Minister discussed potential areas for cooperation in the economic sector and briefed the First Vice Chairman on the upcoming Sri Lanka Expo 2027 in addition to trade and investment opportunities available in Sri Lanka.
The Deputy Minister also met Mr. Abdullah Alfehani, Deputy Director General of the Qatar Fund For Development. He thanked QFFD for its emergency humanitarian assistance during challenging times in Sri Lanka and for its long-term projects in health, education and housing, delivered directly and through Qatar Charity. The meeting also discussed QFFD's current priorities and new projects planned for Sri Lanka in the coming months.
During his meeting with Mr. Mohammed Ali AlGhamdi, Deputy CEO of Qatar Charity, the Deputy Minister thanked the organisation for its continued work in Sri Lanka. He also recalled Qatar Charity establishing a dedicated bank account to support Sri Lanka during the recent Cyclone Ditwah disaster, an initiative that reflected Qatar's enduring spirit of humanitarian solidarity for which he expressed Sri Lanka’s sincere appreciation.
Reaching out to the Sri Lankan community in Qatar, Deputy Minister Hemachandra also took part in media programmes in ‘Sithula Radio’, 'Sky Tamil Media’ and the English language newspaper ‘The Peninsula’. He also held two community engagement sessions with members of the Sri Lankan community in Qatar to hear their views and share information. Around 200 Sri Lankans attended the sessions. In addition, the Deputy Minister also visited the newly constructed Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha's new building to review the progress of its construction.
Further, the Deputy Minister met with the Qatar-Sri Lanka Business Council to discuss potential investment collaborations in the business and finance sectors. He also undertook a visit to ‘Argrico’, a private agricultural and food company that specializes in sustainable, year-round hydroponic farming, which has also invested in Sri Lanka and exports its products to Europe, the GCC, including Qatar and other countries.
In addition, Deputy Minister Hemachandra also visited the Sri Lanka Embassy in Doha to inspect the Chancery and discussed issues and operations at the Embassy including the Consular and Employment Welfare sections.
Hon. Arun Hemachandra, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment of Sri Lanka was accompanied by H.E Sithara Khan, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Qatar, Dr. M.M.S.S.B.Yalegama, Additional Secretary (Development, Foreign Employment), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Mr. S.M.S.D. Gunasinghe, General Manager and Mrs. G.T.S.C. Wijerathne, Actg. Deputy General Manager (Foreign Relations) of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), Ms. Dulanji Herath, Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Mr. Dharamsiri Wijewadhana, Minister and Mr. A. M. M Umarath, Third Secretary and Head of the E & W Section of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Doha.
Sri Lanka Embassy
Doha
28 September 2026
