The third Colombo Development Dialogue (CDD) – organised by the UNDP in partnership with the South Asia Centre of the London School of Economics (LSE-SAC), and in collaboration with Dilmah Tea and the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the University of Colombo – will be held in April.

Its focus will be on refugees, asylum seekers and the 2030 agenda, and it includes a master class for postgraduate and research students interested in the theme.

With at least 68.5 million people displaced globally, the forum aims to bring together relevant stakeholders to discuss how they can work together to ensure basic standards of living for asylum seekers, while adhering to international commitments and balancing the challenges that refugee situations can introduce.

In December 2018, Sri Lanka agreed to abide by the Global Compact on Refugees, which outlines the commitment of the international community for strengthened cooperation and solidarity with refugees and host countries.

The Government of Sri Lanka presently does not grant any particular status for refugees and only provides asylum space until solutions are found.