The National Youth Platform will be formed concurrently with the 75th National Independence Day celebrations under the advice of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The National Youth Platform’s objective is to give Sri Lankan youth the opportunity to be a part of the nation-building process in making Sri Lanka a prosperous and well-developed nation by the year 2048. The whole program is oriented to kick-start a 25-year development agenda and make youth responsible partners in the process.
The rationale for setting up the National Youth Platform;
By the year 2048, the current youth of the nation will be adults and will be playing key roles in the government and private sectors of the country. Thus, it is in their hands to work from now onwards to make this country a better place and not complain about the system or politicians in the future. The President has a firm belief that if the youth want to make a change they have to come forward and take leadership, and the National Youth Platform is the opportunity for them to emerge.
Applications are open to become a part of the National Youth Platform under three different categories; Member, Youth Organization, and Adviser. Individuals can apply as a member by submitting their CVs and Proposals for a selected focus area from the list below.
Organizations will have to send a report with details of the membership base and the projects and programs they have done over the years, to gain membership. People with expert knowledge in the focussed areas can apply or be nominated as an advisor to the program and will be chosen after an interview process.
Category Age Limit
Member : 16 – 35
Youth : Organization All members below the age of 40
Adviser : All Ages
The National Youth Platform will have the following focus areas:
• Law and Economy
• Education, Vocational Training, Talent for the Future
• Sustainable Development and Climate Action
• Health, Safe Food and Water standards
• National Security
• Diplomacy and International Relations
• Agriculture, Fisheries & Animal Husbandry
• Sports
• Aesthetics – Art, Music, Drama, Film, Architecture, etc.
• Industry, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship
• Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Protection of Water, Air, Land, and Animals
• Governance, Technology for Governance, Transparency and Anti-Corruption
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for National Development
• Just Society
All applicants must choose only one focus area they would like to work on. A self-written application can be sent through email or registered post to the following addresses on or before the 31st of January 2022:
• Email: dir.ysd@presidentsoffice.lk
• Postal: Director Youth and Sustainable Development, Presidential Secretariat, Colombo 01
If you are willing to volunteer for the core team of the National Youth Platform as a volunteer in administration, content creation, IT, marketing, logistics, and finances, you may directly contact the Director of Youth and Sustainable Development at the Presidential Secretariat through the above email address.
