This document discusses Sri Lanka's efforts to mainstream the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its national budgeting and monitoring processes. It outlines how Sri Lanka has begun linking its national planning and budgeting to the SDGs by including them in its national development strategy. It also describes how Sri Lanka has conducted a preliminary mapping of how its existing plans and targets align with the SDGs. The document then discusses Sri Lanka's budget allocation process and how it aims to allocate resources according to SDG targets. It describes Sri Lanka's budget monitoring process and goals of advancing this process to monitor progress on SDG indicators.

1. Mainstreaming SDGs into Budgeting and Budget
Monitoring Process in Sri Lanka
Director General
Department of National Budget
Ministry of Finance
3rd October 2017

2. Contents
• Only three points
• Linking planning and budgeting
• Allocation of resources
• Budget monitoring process
• Conclusion

3. Linking planning
and budgeting
• Vision 2025 – A country enriched
• Inclusion of SDGs into the development agenda
• Economic vision strengthening macroeconomic and growth framework
• Introduction of reform agenda – land labour and capital
• Assessment on organizational capacities
• Strengthening implementation, coordination and monitoring
• Public Investment Programme

4. Inclusion of
SDGs
in the
National
Development
Strategy
• Planning (Preliminary mapping)
• 36% of the targets - Fully aligned to existing
national development strategy, plans and
actions
• 38% of the targets - Moderately aligned with
existing national development strategy, plans
and actions
• 15% of the targets - Slightly aligned with
existing national development strategy, plans
and actions
• 11% of the targets - Not relevant to the local
context

5. Space for resources
• Total economy US$ 82bn
• Total budget US$ 24bn
• Loan servicing
• IMF programme
• Classification – recurrent and capital

6. • Re-vamp the budget process from the Budget Call to
the final Budget by providing consultative assistance to
Ministries and agencies – ask spending agencies to
budget allocations for each target
• Linking finance with results - Introduction of
budgeting – aligning resources with SDG targets
results framework
• Conversion of financial resources from accounting
SDG format
Allocation of Resources

7. • Application of Integrated Treasury Management
Information System (ITMIS)
• Drafting public finance bill
• Open budgeting – filling fiscal knowledge gaps - requiring
a bottom-up, participatory, multi-stakeholder engagement
• Mismatch between expenditure responsibilities and
resource sharing among levels of government
Allocation of Resources

8. Budget Monitoring Process
• Identify SDG indicators relevant to Sri Lanka and baselines – DCS has finalized 46
indicators
• Targets and resources to be finalized - monitored by the DNB - Advancing
budget monitoring mechanism linking with SDG results using indicators
• Oversight committees - Parliamentary Select Committee on SD - constituted in
November 2016 with Hon. Deputy Speaker as Chair - Identified 3-step program agenda to engage thematic areas:
(1) Gap assessment: Where is Sri Lanka currently on the SDGs? Setting a baseline in respect of the SDG targets
(2) Planning: Localization of SDGs at national, provincial, district and divisional levels
(3) Acceleration: Identifying needed actions to fast-track localization exercise and Committee on
Public Finance –
• Ministry and Presidential Secretariat - coordination

9. Conclusion
• Political commitment for resources allocation and programme/ project
implementation
• Mainstreaming SDGs into national budget requires aligning budgeting with
planning through similar prioritization
• Essential to note funding assistance in addition to domestic resources and
efforts
• International experience sharing and best practices will support achieving
targets
• Organizational capability for implementation is the key

10. Thank you