Sanjay Wijesekara, a national of Sri Lanka, is a Chartered civil engineer. He holds a Master’s degree in Water and Environmental Management from the University of Loughborough, UK. Before joining UNICEF, from 2005 to 2011, Wijesekera worked at the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), where he was responsible for managing overall policy and global programmes related to achieving the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goals. He also worked for DFID in Ghana as an infrastructure adviser, where he helped coordinate a joint assistance strategy for the donor community and was the lead donor representative for the water sector. Wijesekara is visiting India after assuming office as UNICEF Regional Director of South Asia.
An interview with The Statesman:
Q. You will begin your innings as Unicef Regional Director, South Asia with an India visit. How Significant is India?
A: India has the world’s largest child population and therefore plays a pivotal role in shaping progress for children in the region and around the world. India is a hub of youth power, and it has tremendous role and potential in the world. Over the seven decades, India has been an important partner of UNICEF and It is one of the largest country programmes we have in UNICEF. I am looking forward to returning to India and witnessing firsthand how UNICEF’s Country Programme is uplifting children in partnership with the Government of India. From 2025 to 2055, India will witness an unprecedented demographic dividend which is a great opportunity to provide education and skills to young people, with a billion Indians joining the workforce.
Q. What are the Key learnings from the initiatives that you take back with you from India?
A: We are here to learn from India’s innovative and scalable models that can assist other countries in achieving the SDGs. The Ministry of Women and Child Development’s Poshan Tracker App, which utilizes digital transformation to enhance nutrition and well-being of children is impressive. India’s remarkable immunization efforts are commendable, that is recently recognized in the UNICEF global State of the World’s Children report. In addition, we are honoured to support India’s Presidency of the G20 by assisting various tracks and engagement groups, such as those focused on Health, Education, DRR and Climate, Urban, Youth, women and girls..
Q. India has the largest demographic dividend in the world. What does this vast potential mean for India’s adolescents and young people?
A: I am particularly excited about the energy and immense potential of India’s children and young people. They have the potential to be true catalysts behind India’s progress. Building adolescents and young people’s agency for informed participation in issues that concern them. Their participation in Mission LiFE is an important example. India’s young population fits well within India’s goal of connecting a billion citizens to the internet, with a significant number being young people. UNICEF India is hosting Yuwaah, globally known as Generation Unlimited, it is a multi-stakeholder platform by UNICEF, that prepare young people to transition from education and learning to productive work. YuWaah is working with young people and partners in India to further young people’s education, skilling and employability.
Q. What are the partnerships and alliances for results for children?
A: We have set ambitious targets for the next five years along with the Government of India. Government of India-UNICEF Country Programme Document, endorsed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, has outlined targets for 2027 that hold the potential to address challenges on a global scale for the betterment of children. UNICEF has collaborated with nodal Ministry, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, We also work closely with the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Jal Shakti, Panchayati Raj, Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, Social Justice and Empowerment, Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, as well as NITI Aayog.