High level co-convenors at the meeting 

• Reinvents Sri Lanka’s first social innovation lab

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena convened a meeting yesterday with the co-chairs of the Citra Social Innovation Lab Governance Board on operationalising Citra 3.0. 

Also attending the meeting were Secretary to Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Sri Lanka Azusa Kubota.

Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe, Technology State Minister Kanaka Herath, Technology Ministry Secretary Dr. Dharmasri Kumaratunga, Public Administration Ministry Additional Secretary M.L. Gammampila and representatives from the Finance and Planning, Public Administration and Technology Ministries were also in attendance.

Staying agile, relevant and fit-for-purpose is essential for the successful operation of any innovation facility and the Citra Social Innovation Lab, South Asia and Sri Lanka’s first social innovation lab, has already reinvented itself twice in its five years of operation and is currently undergoing its third iteration, with a view to becoming a transformational public sector innovation lab. 

Further to the findings of an independent review conducted in 2023, during the next five years of a transitional period towards the public sector innovation lab, it was agreed upon that Citra will continue to be anchored at the Prime Minister’s Office as a joint initiative with the UNDP to leverage its global expertise and knowledge base and will operate closely with four lead ministries – the Education, Finance and Planning, Public Administration and Technology Ministries. The lab will focus on three workstreams: systems transformation, public sector innovation and policy coherence – and will operate through four key enablers – digital, data, innovation and service design.
Citra Lab, a joint initiative between the government and UNDP Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka’s first Social Innovation Lab, was established in 2018 through a Cabinet memo. In 2022, following a review, through a further Cabinet memo, the lab was anchored under the Prime Minister’s Office. Citra is part of UNDP supported global innovation facilities, working closely with diverse innovation facilities across the world.