Sri Lanka participated in the High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, held on 25 September 2026 during the High-Level Week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Addressing the Meeting, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York, Jayantha Jayasuriya,  highlighted Sri Lanka’s efforts to strengthen pandemic preparedness through integrated disease surveillance, Sri Lanka is strengthening pandemic preparedness through the implementation of its National Action Plan for Health Security, adopting a multi-ministerial, whole-of-government approach while strengthening engagement with relevant sectors and stakeholders through a whole-of-society approach.lth workforce preparedness and a One Health approach.

Highlighting Sri Lanka’s experience in strengthening public health systems, Ambassador Jayasuriya noted that, beginning with the establishment of the first field health unit in South Asia, Sri Lanka’s public health services have expanded into a nationwide network. These sustained efforts have contributed to Sri Lanka remaining malaria-free since 2012.

Sri Lanka called for renewed international commitment to facilitating technology transfer and research and development through North-South collaboration, as well as promoting greater transparency across the health value chain to support equitable access to procurement and remove barriers to sustainable health solutions.

This year, we mark the centenary of the establishment of our Public  Health Service. Sri Lanka also underscored the intrinsic link between debt sustainability and health security financing, calling for urgent reforms to the international financial architecture that address these interconnected challenges, and reaffirmed its commitment to the health and safety of people worldwide, emphasizing that pandemic prevention, preparedness and response require collective action, solidarity and shared responsibility, as no country can achieve pandemic preparedness alone.

The Meeting was attended by Heads of State/Government, Ministers and Permanent Representatives of UN Member States.

Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations
New York

27 September 2026