The Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) in Colombo has been named «NGO of the Year» in 2013 by the Sri Lankan newspaper The Nation. This was announced late December 2013. – A great motivation, comments the ADIC Director, Pubudu Sumanasekera.

- At least five of the Millennium Development Goals are clearly affected by alcohol harm. The success of achieving them also depends on how alcohol’s role is addressed,” says Pubudu Sumanasekara in IOGT International on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The Foundation for Innovative Social Development (FISD) is a national NGO working towards the improvement of living standards in local communities in Sri Lanka. One of their programs addresses alcohol and drugs as an obstacle to development.

- The new Parliament Act on alcohol and tobacco control is a major breakthrough for public health promotion in Sri Lanka. And just as important, we have experienced how youth of a country can be a powerful force that can be effectively mobilized to take care of public health policies, says Pubudu Sumanasekara, the director of ADIC, the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre in Colombo.

The research report "Alcohol and Poverty in Sri Lanka" is the result of a study by the Norwegian researcher Bergljot Baklien and the Sri Lankan Professor Diyanath Samarasinghe. The studiy is commissioned by FORUT as part of its focus on Alcohol, Drugs and Development. The report is now available on the net (pdf) and with the full text of the Summary on this page.

The Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) in Colombo put alcohol policies on the agenda during last years election campaign in Sri Lanka. 37 out of 40 "recommended" candidates got a seat in the Parliament.