Sri Lanka, one of the countries hardest-hit by climate change, said on Wednesday it will prepare its third national communication report on the matter while implementing integrated solutions to environment issues.

Sri Lanka ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1993. Under the Convention, UN member states should provide a communication report consisting of information on climate change and Sri Lanka had presented its second report in 2012.

President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Environment has now obtained cabinet approval to implement the project for preparing the third communication report with assistance of the Global Environment Facility of the United Nations Development Programme.

Sri Lanka is taking measures to address environment issues in the country and the UN office in Colombo announced this week the commencement of a new USD 38.1 million project under the Green Climate Fund.

The country is to implement integrated solutions to water management which will achieve higher levels of food, livelihood and water security for communities in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka.

Green Climate Fund resources will therefore be invested in improving the community irrigation water infrastructure and associated agricultural practices, scaling-up decentralized drinking water systems and strengthening Early Warning, forecasting and water management systems to enhance the livelihood and resilience of smallholder farmers, particularly women, from climate related impacts.

The UNDP will work with a number of government institutions to support the government of Sri Lanka to deliver this project, which will be implemented from 2017 to 2024.

(Xinhua)