Asian Development Outlook 2023 and Addressing Sri Lanka's Economic Crisis

Serendipity Knowledge Program (SKOP) is an ADB platform dedicated to identifying knowledge solutions for Sri Lanka’s development challenges. Serendib is one of Sri Lanka’s ancient names and serendipity refers to a fortunate finding, which is a common occurrence throughout the history of product invention and scientific discovery. ADB established this new knowledge program in 2021 in line with its vision as a knowledge solutions bank.

Hanaa Singer-Hamdy

Ms. Hanaa Singer-Hamdy is the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka and leads the UN Country Team of 22 Resident and Non-Resident UN Agencies. She is the representative of the UN Secretary-General in Sri Lanka.

Ms. Singer-Hamdy has over three decades of experience with the UN, having worked across development and humanitarian contexts in various senior management and strategic leadership roles.

Vimlendra Sharan

Vimlendra Sharan is FAO Country Representative for Sri Lanka and Maldives. Sharan brings with him nearly three decades of national and international government leadership experience focusing on rural development, agriculture, and food security issues. As a member of the Indian Administrative Service, he has worked with the Indian Government extensively in rural and tribal areas of Maharashtra and has also been actively involved in agriculture and food policy formulation working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in New Delhi.

Carlos Estévez Reyes

Works as an Economist at the Global Information and Early Warning System of FAO since 2018. He monitors food markets in West Africa, providing analyses that reflect the trends of food security at the national and subregional levels. He also participates in flagship publications such as the Global Report of Food Crisis and FAO/WFPs Hunger Hotspots Analysis.

Cristina Coslet

Works as an Economist at the Global Information and Early Warning System of FAO since 2012. She is responsible for monitoring the food supply/demand and food security situation in Asia and the Pacific, covering a vast set of 27 countries stretching from Pakistan to Papua New Guinea. She regularly contributes to a variety of FAO’s technical reports and publications and conducts country agricultural and market assessments.