This year's World Environment Day theme is “Urgent Climate Action” and a National Environment Week has been declared from 30 May to 05 June. During this week, 01 June has been designated as the Day for Reducing the Impacts of Climate Change and Air Pollution. Therefore, taking this day as an opportunity, the Climate Change Secretariat of the Ministry of Environment conducted this workshop for officials of ministries, departments, and agencies on 01 June, 2026, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Auditorium of the Central Environmental Authority, aiming to enhance their capacity through awareness sessions on climate change and reducing its impacts and the importance of gender mainstreaming in climate action.

For this workshop, 80 participants took part, including officials from ministries, departments and agencies, veterinarians, officials from the United Nations Development Programme, officers from the Ministry of Environment, and staff from the Climate Change Secretariat.

This workshop was inaugurated and its objectives clarified by Dr. R.D.S. Jayathunga, Additional Secretary (Environmental Development) of the Ministry of Environment. It was emphasized that Sri Lanka as a party to the UNFCCC, has signed conventions and agreements related to climate change, it is our collective responsibility to implement these conventions and agreements, and all government officials should be committed to these commitments. 

A lecture on nationally determined contributions, the national adaptation plan, and national reporting including national commitments relevant to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was delivered by Mr. Leel Randeni, Director of the Climate Change Secretariat. 

Additionally, the importance of gender mainstreaming in climate change mitigation and climate activities was highlighted to the participants by Ms. Swarna Kodagoda, a gender specialist. A question-and-answer session was also conducted in parallel with these lectures.