Empowering people for a thriving nation: Essentials for excellence

THE most sought-after People Conference of Sri Lanka is ready to unfold once again this year. It will be held on 2 and 3 June. With the apt theme, “Empowering people for a thriving nation,” it will feature eminent speakers, elite panellists, and excellent deliberations. I as a former president of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), member of the technical committee of the National HR Conference (NHRC) 2025 and also as the moderator of the first panel discussion is indeed delighted to share the salient features of it with high national, regional and global significance. Today’s column is all about it.

- By Ajantha Dharmasiri

In fact, NHRC has been hailed as the largest HR conference in the South Asia. Year on year, it has shown continuous improvement regards to the quality, relevance, and the overall experience. We deliberated on the theme, “empowering people for a thriving nation” in line with the manifesto of the current government with obvious endorsement by the Sri Lankan majority. “A thriving nation; A beautiful life” is the overall theme presented to us.

“The social transformation Sri Lanka needs today is not a mere change of government or filling of the spaces left by the departure of a ruling group. It is a massive social transformation beyond the reformation of just one or two sectors—in essence, a renaissance.” That is how the preface to the manifesto begins. The key factor in fulfilling the promises is people. It is simply a people affair, what they do for people, with people, through people and by people.

As the premier HR professional body in Sri Lanka, CIPM geared towards reflecting and reinforcing people factor for development. As the conference brochure says, “The interconnection between empowered individuals and national progress is fundamental.” As it further highlights, “a thriving nation requires a robust workforce capable of addressing challenges and contributing meaningfully to society.” Human resources play a pivotal role in driving sustainable national development and prosperity.