United Nations Sri Lanka

What United Nations Sri Lanka does

The United Nations Sri Lanka (UN Sri Lanka) is the UN Country Team in Sri Lanka, led by the Resident Coordinator's Office with 14 staff and comprising 17 UN entities. It coordinates international humanitarian and development assistance in the country, delivering programming under the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027. Core activities include humanitarian response, SDG implementation, and capacity-building for government and civil society partners.

The entity's core "products" are coordinated programmes rather than commercial offerings: emergency response (notably Cyclone Ditwah, where USD 28.5 million was raised and 575,000 people reached), development cooperation across SDGs, and thematic capacity-building including a recently launched AI Literacy training initiative. Delivery is executed through a network of 68+ implementing partners, providing national reach across Sri Lanka.

The underlying "business model" is donor-funded: programming is financed through UN member-state assessed contributions, voluntary donations, and country-specific partnerships such as the AUD 2 million Australia-FAO smallholder farmer resilience initiative. The entity does not generate commercial revenue; instead, it convenes, allocates, and monitors programmatic funds on behalf of the UN system and the Government of Sri Lanka.

Name

United Nations Sri Lanka

Legal name

United Nations in Sri Lanka

Website

https://srilanka.un.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The United Nations Sri Lanka is the UN Country Team coordinating 17 entities in Sri Lanka, led by a 14-person Resident Coordinator's Office. It delivers humanitarian response, SDG programming, and capacity-building through 68+ implementing partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development and Humanitarian Assistance

NAICS

International Affairs (928120), International Affairs (92812), National Security and International Affairs (928)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA), Humanitarian Coordination & Disaster Risk Reduction IGOs (BPADAAAE), Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

Keywords

• Humanitarian assistance
• Sustainable development programs
• Disaster response coordination
• Peacebuilding initiatives
• Multilateral development cooperation

Headquarters

HQ city

Colombo

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Member State Contributions: The UN system is funded through assessed contributions from member states and voluntary contributions, which are then allocated to country operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The United Nations in Sri Lanka coordinates the UN Country Team, comprising 17 UN entities, to deliver humanitarian assistance and sustainable development programming across the country. Its core activities include implementing the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2023-2027) with six outcome areas (social services, inclusive growth, climate resilience, governance, social cohesion, gender equality), coordinating disaster response (notably the Humanitarian Priorities Plan for Cyclone Ditwah), and convening government, donor, and civil society partners across all 25 districts.

Product overview

United Nations Sri Lanka operates as a coordination and information platform for the UN Country Team in Sri Lanka. The organization does not offer a commercial product in the traditional sense but instead provides public-facing resources, publications, situation reports, and coordinates humanitarian and development initiatives. The primary digital offerings include various publications such as the annual results report, humanitarian situation reports for Cyclone Ditwah, periodic bulletins on harmful speech, and socio-economic impact assessments related to the Middle East crisis. These publications serve as information resources documenting the UN's work on sustainable development, humanitarian response, and peacebuilding in Sri Lanka.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2023-2027)
• Humanitarian Priorities Plan (HPP) for Cyclone Ditwah Response
• EDRR (Early Recovery and Durable Resettlement) Project

Quantifiable outcome

• USD 74 million delivered in development support through the UN Cooperation Framework
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Government of Sri LankacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025The Government of Sri Lanka is the primary counterpart for the UN Country Team, working through the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2023-2027). The partnership covers six outcomes including social services, economic recovery, climate resilience, governance, social cohesion, and gender equality.
• UNDPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNDP works on governance, justice, rule of law, and post-conflict resettlement in Sri Lanka. Key initiatives include the EDRR project and economic justice programs supporting women entrepreneurs.
• UNICEFStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF focuses on children, education, health, and nutrition. During Cyclone Ditwah, UNICEF supported 130,000+ children to resume learning and provided essential services recovery.
• WFPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWFP implements the Home-Grown School Feeding initiative in Sri Lanka, supporting school meal caterers and local food systems while providing nutritious meals to school children.
• FAOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO supports climate-smart agriculture, food security, and livelihood restoration. Led the Australia-partnered initiative to restore vegetable production in cyclone-affected highlands.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNESCO conducts AI literacy training for civil servants in collaboration with the Presidential Secretariat and GovTech Sri Lanka, supporting ethical AI governance in public administration.
• IOMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOM works on migration, displacement, and durable resettlement, partnering with UNDP on the EDRR project supporting conflict-affected communities in Northern and Eastern provinces.
• UNFPAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNFPA promotes gender equality and reproductive health, working with partners on women's empowerment and youth participation in climate resilience initiatives.
• UN WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Women advances gender equality and women's empowerment through programs supporting women entrepreneurs, economic justice, and rights awareness in Sri Lanka.
• ILOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILO contributes to the Social Dialogue for Peace and Crisis Prevention Project, supporting alternate dispute resolution mechanisms and dialogue between communities and government.
• OCHAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCHA coordinates humanitarian response efforts, producing situation reports and supporting the Humanitarian Country Team response to Cyclone Ditwah.
• Presidential Secretariat and GovTech Sri LankacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partners for the UNESCO AI Literacy Training programme, bringing together civil servants from over 30 government departments for ethical AI capacity building.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• World Bank Sri Lanka: The World Bank's Sri Lanka country office operates as a multilateral development institution financing structural reforms, infrastructure, and social sector programmes with the Government of Sri Lanka. It is the most direct comparator to UN Sri Lanka's mandate in coordinating large-scale development assistance to the same government counterpart.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Sri Lanka: The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society and IFRC coordinate humanitarian response, disaster preparedness, and recovery with the same vulnerable populations affected by Cyclone Ditwah. They are the most direct operational peer in emergency response delivery across Sri Lanka's districts.
• Asian Development Bank Sri Lanka: ADB's Sri Lanka Resident Mission provides concessional financing and technical assistance for infrastructure, climate resilience, and inclusive growth. It overlaps directly with UN Sri Lanka's green growth, climate, and governance outcome areas and serves the same government counterpart.
• European Union Delegation to Sri Lanka: The EU Delegation coordinates European development cooperation in Sri Lanka, including contributions to the UN SDG Fund and humanitarian response. It functions as a peer multilateral donor-coordination body engaging the same government and vulnerable populations.

Emerging players

• CARE International Sri Lanka: CARE Sri Lanka delivers humanitarian response, women's empowerment, and climate resilience programming, frequently as a partner under UN-led appeals. It serves overlapping vulnerable populations in post-disaster recovery and gender equality work.
• Save the Children Sri Lanka: Save the Children Sri Lanka delivers child-focused humanitarian and development programmes, including education continuity post-Cyclone Ditwah. It competes for donor funding and implementing partner roles within the UN-coordinated humanitarian architecture.
• Oxfam Sri Lanka: Oxfam Sri Lanka focuses on inequality, gender justice, and humanitarian response, often participating as an implementing partner in UN Country Team programmes. It is an INGO peer with significant overlap in target populations and thematic focus.

Broad incumbents

• USAID Sri Lanka: USAID Sri Lanka operates a broader development and humanitarian portfolio spanning democracy, economic growth, and health. It is a larger bilateral incumbent with overlapping sectoral focus but a wider programmatic scope than the UN Country Team.
• GIZ Sri Lanka (German Development Cooperation): GIZ Sri Lanka implements German bilateral development cooperation across governance, economic development, and climate. It overlaps with UN Sri Lanka's SDG outcomes but operates as part of a broader global GIZ portfolio rather than a country-specific coordination mandate.
• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Sri Lanka: JICA Sri Lanka delivers bilateral Japanese ODA focused on infrastructure, economic development, and capacity building. As a large established bilateral donor, it operates with broader geographic and sectoral scope but engages the same Government of Sri Lanka counterpart.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UNSriLanka
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4HDGel1329kPDundo79ycg
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNSriLanka
• Instagraminstagram.com/unsrilanka
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unsrilanka

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about United Nations Sri Lanka