Sri Lanka 2048: TV debate series on creating a better future

If current development trends continue, what would life in Sri Lanka be like by 2048 – when the country marks 100 years of independence?

How can Sri Lanka keep growing economically without triggering mass sickness and death due to poisoning of its air and water?

What smart choices do we need to make today so that the next generation can enjoy prosperity, good health and a clean environment?

How can we safeguard our island from extreme weather and natural disasters resulting from climate change?

These are among the many questions to be addressed in Sri Lanka 2048 -- a new, innovative series of television debates exploring prospects for a sustainable future for Sri Lanka in the Twenty First Century.

The debates are being co-produced by TVE Asia Pacific and MTV Channel (Private) Limited, Sri Lanka's market-leading terrestrial broadcaster, in partnership with IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The series, which begins airing on Sirasa TV on 22 May 2008, will be broadcast every Thursday at 10.45 pm on Sri Lanka's most popular Sinhala channel. Each one hour debate will involve -– as panel and studio audience -– over two dozen persons from academic, civil society, corporate and government backgrounds.

The editorially independent series will accommodate a broad spectrum of expertise and opinion. Broadcast in Sinhala (on Sirasa TV) and English (on Channel One MTV), it is aimed at all thinking and caring people who yearn for a better future for themselves and their children.

"Channel One and Sirasa TV are very pleased to partner with TVEAP in producing socially relevant programmes in which civil society can participate," says Mano Wikramanayake, Group Director, MTV Channel (Private) Ltd. "This could be a forerunner to programmes which encourage public debate on issues that concern all of us."

"IUCN with its unique constitution of state and NGO membership is well positioned to facilitate discussions amongst all stakeholders on issues of topical interest," says Dr Ranjith Mahindapala, Country Representative of IUCN in Sri Lanka. "It plays the ‘honest broker’ role to bring out the most current scientific and allied information on a broad range of subjects which are affecting the environment and our lives."

He adds: "We are happy to be associate with TVEAP and the MTV Channel (Pvt) Limited in this important endeavour."

"Sustainable development is not some utopian or technical ideal of environmental activists," says TVE Asia Pacific's Director and CEO Nalaka Gunawardene, under whose editorial supervision the series is being produced. "It's about creating a liveable society here and today – where everyone has an acceptable quality of life, ample opportunities to learn and earn, and the freedom to pursue their own dreams."

Sri Lanka 2048 debates in Sinhala will be based on 10 topics chosen by IUCN and TVEAP. These include including managing waste, reducing air pollution, protecting biodiversity on land and in the seas, and buffering communities from disasters (see box for full list). The two debates in English will be on business and the environment, and coping with climate change. All topics will be discussed at a non-technical level in the public interest.

The series is based on the premise that Sri Lanka has abundant land and ocean resources that can be used to build such a future -– but it faces many challenges in taking the right action at the right time.

"Just how do we make the smart choices? They don't just happen -– it requires study, reflection and discussion among concerned people in government, private sector, academia and civil society. This is what we are trying to catalyse through Sri Lanka 2048 debates," says Nalaka Gunawardene, executive producer in charge of content.

Sri Lanka 2048 will adopt an informal, talk show style format that allows ample interaction between the panel and active audience. Each debate will also feature two or three short video segments produced in advance, and played at key points during the debate to steer discussion.

"The topics and issues we address have been debated for years, and we don't expect to deliver final conclusions on any," says Pamudi Withanaarachchi, TVEAP's senior producer. "But we certainly want to expand the scope of such discussions to include not just environmental, but also economic, social and cultural factors."

She adds: "We may well end up asking more questions than we answer in one hour – but that's a useful part of public discussion and debate on development."

Sri Lanka 2048 TV series is supported under the Raising Environmental Consciousness in Society (RECS) project of IUCN Sri Lanka, which is funded by the Government of the Netherlands.

Television for Education – Asia Pacific (trading as TVE Asia Pacific) is a regionally operating educational foundation that uses television, video and web for communicating development. TVEAP produces and distributes TV content to over 40 TV channels across Asia, and works with educational, research and civil society groups. This is the first time TVEAP has embarked on such a venture in the country of its anchor.

MTV Channel (Pvt) Limited, part of the Capital Maharaja Group, owns and operates Channel One MTV (English), Sirasa TV (Sinhala) and Shakthi TV (Tamil) which are market leaders in terrestrial broadcasting in Sri Lanka.

IUCN – The World Conservation Union is the world’s largest conservation network. The Union's membership comprises 83 states, 110 government agencies, more than 800 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and some 10,000 scientists from 181 countries who pursue sustainable development at local, national and global levels. Since 1988, IUCN Sri Lanka has provided technical and policy support to government agencies, civil society and private sector in pursuit of sustainable development.