The Sri Lanka Development Forum getting under way in Paris on Monday will focus on four areas to act as a major catalyst in deciding on the level of assistance to Sri Lanka, World Bank Country Director Mariana Todorova said in Colombo on Saturday.
Those issues concern the steps the government takes in regard to poverty alleviation, relief, rehabilitation and reconciliation in the context of the country's north-east problem, good governance and tertiary education on account of the number of unemployed graduates in the country.
One of the publications to be circulated at the forum is a World Bank publication titled ''Sri Lanka, Missed Opportunities,'' which analyses the country's economic situation from the bank's perspective.
Meanwhile, Todorova said that the last time the Sri Lanka Development Forum met was in May 1998. ''It was scheduled to meet in December 1999, but was postponed due to the presidential election, then it was rescheduled to meet in May 2000, but was again postponed due to the exacerbation of the north-east conflict during that period,'' she said.
Todorova said that Sri Lanka has to compete for a limited aid package compared to bottomless packages made available to other countries from Asia, Latin America and Africa, whose conditions are similar to those of Sri Lanka.
''Developing countries whose agendas are closer to the expectations of donor agencies and countries will get more assistance,'' she said.
Todorova also said that to Sri Lanka's credit, its government is the first in a developing country to make a request to the World Bank to appraise its poverty alleviation program.
She also said that another first to Sri Lanka's credit was that, at the government's request, it is the first country where the bank is carrying out development work and relief assistance in conflict areas.
The World Bank has earmarked $30 million for development assistance in the country's conflict areas in the north and east, as well as to surrounding border villages.
Todorova said that next year, the bank will map out its strategy for Sri Lanka covering a period of three years.
''Previously, this was a confidential document, but this time, we shall obtain the views from civil society, political parties, trade unions, nongovernmental organizations and the media, before finalizing this document,'' she said.
Todorova further said that the World Bank has classified Sri Lanka as a low middle-income country.
''Soon, Sri Lanka will move out from obtaining concessional loans to commercial loans from the World Bank,'' she said.
