A report dissemination workshop organized by the AHEAD research project (AHEAD R2 DOR HEMS KLN No.12) of the Department of Economics, University of Kelaniya was held on the 3rd of March 2023 at the Board Room of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya.

The theme of the workshop was ‘addressing labour market challenges for sustainable development’.

The objective of this workshop was to disseminate the findings of AHEAD-funded research on ‘The impact of Social Protection on Sustainable Development Goals’.

Mr. R. P. A. Wimalaweera, Secretary - Ministry of Labour & Foreign Employment delivered the keynote speech of the event while Dr. Roshini Jayaweera introduced the main labour market challenges with special reference to the ageing population and presented a proposal for a model adult welfare centre as a partial solution for some of the challenges. Further, Dr. Champika Dharmadasa, Ms. Vimalini Nadaraj, and Ms. Moksha discussed the challenges faced by the lower-skilled migrant workers, informal sector workers, and food security issues in Sri Lanka respectively.

The programme was conducted with the participation of more than 70 members representing different government officials and academia.