Currently, GIZ employs more than 100 staff – most of whom are Sri Lankans – carrying out various tasks, from managerial to administrative duties.
GIZ has been working in Sri Lanka since 1956 as a development partner of the Government of Sri Lanka in issues ranging from vocational training, environment and climate change to reconstruction and peace as well as economic development and employment. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a global service provider in the field of international cooperation for su
stainable development with more than 17,000 employees. GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment, energy and the environment, and peace and security. As a public-benefit federal enterprise, GIZ supports the German Government – in particular the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) – and public and private sector clients in around 130 countries in achieving their objectives in international cooperation. With this aim, GIZ works together with its partners to develop effective solutions that offer people better prospects and sustainably improve their living conditions. Since 1956, GIZ has been working in Sri Lanka, implementing a range of development projects including conflict transformation, peace building, education, biodiversity conservation, and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. GIZ’s main office in Sri Lanka is located in the country’s commercial capital, Colombo, while field offices are placed in other parts of the island including in the former conflict areas in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Sri Lanka has seen substantial infrastructural and economic development in the recent years, following a quarter-century-long civil war between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which ended in 2009. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has identified Sri Lanka as a ‘lower middle income country’ while the ending of the war helped the country also make significant progress towards achieving the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In an effort to foster the country’s transition from conflict to reconciliation, GIZ’s support to Sri Lanka aims to address root causes of conflict, fragility and violence by promoting social cohesion, security, ethnic equality, and by enhancing capacities for non-violent dealing with conflicts. Currently, GIZ is implementing several projects in Sri Lanka on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Federal Foreign Office, covering education, social integration, conflict transformation, private sector development, biodiversity conservation, renewable energy promotion and vocational training. With a wide range of activities – from offering advice on policies on the development of curricula and on technology transfer, to conducting training measures and exposure tours and providing platforms for exchange – all GIZ projects ultimately contribute to conflict transformation and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. In order to develop effective solutions that offer people better prospects and improved living conditions, GIZ cooperates very closely with its Sri Lankan partners from both the public and private sectors, the civil society as well as with international implementing agencies and donors. Substantial additional funding from the European Union and the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) helps GIZ achieve the projects’ objectives in Sri Lanka.
27/05/2026
Colombo has set the tone for the CIRCULAR Design Thinking Workshops 2026.
Through the European Union-funded CIRCULAR Programme under the Global Gateway strategy, the workshop series is helping turn Sri Lanka’s circular economy challenges into practical, locally relevant solutions.
In Colombo, the focus was traceability and transparency in food supply chains. Participants explored how better visibility from farm to export market can strengthen trust, reward quality and sustainable practices, support fairer value for producers, and improve Sri Lanka’s competitiveness in high-value markets.
Now the series moves across the country, with each city taking on a challenge that matters to its local food system.
Next: Matara, Kandy, Jaffna and Dambulla.
FAO Sri Lanka Expertise France Hatch
21/05/2026
Star Mushroom’s journey, from a mother building opportunity through mushroom cultivation to a daughter transforming that legacy into biodegradable mycelium packaging, is exactly the kind of circular enterprise story the CIRCULAR Programme exists to amplify.
As implementing partners of this EU-funded initiative under the Global Gateway Strategy, GIZ Sri Lanka, together with FAO Sri Lanka and Expertise France, has been working alongside entrepreneurs like Indira Kumari and Nimesha Perera to turn agricultural waste into business opportunity, support rural livelihoods, and open pathways to international markets.
Women-led. Circular by design. Built from waste, for the future. 🇪🇺🤝🇱🇰
👉 Watch their story.
Good Life X
07/05/2026
Can your technology solve Sri Lanka's food loss crisis?
From post-harvest handling to cold chain gaps, food loss remains one of the biggest challenges in Sri Lanka's food system. If you're building technology that can reduce losses - whether through smarter logistics, better preservation, or data-driven decision-making - this programme is for you.
The CIRCULAR Innovation Incubator (Cohort 2), funded by the European Union through the strategy and BMZ, provides tailored mentorship, prototyping support, and facilitated access to investment.
Do you have the idea to end food waste in your community?
Across Sri Lanka, food that could feed families is lost to waste every day. If you're developing a solution - whether it's upcycling surplus, encouraging zero-waste practices, or rethinking how food reaches consumers - we want to hear from you.
The CIRCULAR Innovation Incubator (Cohort 2), funded by the European Union through the strategy and BMZ, provides a six-month programme of expert mentorship, business development support, and facilitated pathways to finance.
What if your SME could lead the circular economy shift in food?
Small and medium enterprises in Sri Lanka's food value chain are uniquely positioned to drive change - from reducing waste to improving packaging and adopting circular practices.
The CIRCULAR Innovation Incubator (Cohort 2), funded by the European Union through the GlobalGateway strategy and BMZ, gives SMEs the tools to refine their business models, access expert mentorship, and connect with pathways to finance and investment.
Is your green start-up ready to scale and secure investment?
Taking a circular economy idea from early traction to investment readiness takes more than a good product - it takes the right support.
The CIRCULAR Innovation Incubator (Cohort 2), funded by the European Union through the GlobalGateway strategy and BMZ, connects green start-ups with tailored expert mentorship, business development advisory, and facilitated access to investor networks and funding opportunities.
Six months. One programme. A clear pathway from idea to investment.
When harvests peak, waste spikes. Sydney Marcus Dias, founder of Ceylon Nutrisense, is changing that; transforming seasonal surplus into natural, healthy fruity bites.
Supported through the European Union’s strategy and BMZ, the CIRCULAR project is powering solutions that prevent food loss and strengthen local value creation.
FAO Sri Lanka Expertise France Hatch
17/04/2026
Ready to turn your sustainability passion into a market-ready solution?
If you've been thinking about how to reduce food waste, cut plastic pollution, or build something that makes Sri Lanka's food system more sustainable - this is your chance to make it real.
The CIRCULAR Innovation Incubator (Cohort 2) is a six-month programme funded by the European Union through the strategy and BMZ, offering expert mentorship, prototyping support, and facilitated pathways to finance.
Open to university students, early-stage entrepreneurs, community innovators, and sustainability advocates.
An invasive plant can become part of the solution.
Meet Damith Weerasinghe, founder of AquaFiber, giving problematic water hyacinth a second life as biodegradable food packaging, offering a practical alternative to plastic.
Supported through the European Union’s strategy and BMZ, the CIRCULAR project is backing innovations that reduce plastic pollution while protecting ecosystems.
FAO Sri Lanka Expertise France Hatch
13/04/2026
What does it take to go from a promising idea to a market-ready circular solution?
The European Union, through its strategy and BMZ, is offering Sri Lankan innovators a clear pathway:
A 6-month scaling programme
Tailored expert mentorship
Facilitated funding pathways
The CIRCULAR Innovation Incubator (Cohort 2) is now open for applications. Whether you're working on food loss, food waste, or alternatives to single-use plastics, this programme is built to help you scale.
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