About Citra

We prototype and test development solutions to ensure they are agile and holistic before nationwide implementation

Innovating for Impact

Citra is Sri Lanka’s first Social Innovation Lab, operationalised as a joint initiative between the Prime Minister’s Office and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in Sri Lanka. It uses human-centred design foresight and innovation tools to prototype and test development solutions to ensure they are agile and holistic before nation-wide implementation. Citra facilitates conducive environments to approach problems from different perspectives and delivers comprehensive and sustainable development solutions.

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Systems Transformation

Driving systemic reform, reimagining government systems to deliver citizen-focused public services and policies for Sri Lanka's development.

Public Sector Innovation

Partnering with ministries to innovate operating models, enabling skills transfer and lasting transformation in public sector services.

Policy Coherence

Supporting participatory, data-driven approaches to develop and implement policies, for aligned and consistent government initiatives.

Our
Partners

Our Partners

Our success is driven by the collaboration and support of our valued partners. These organizations play a vital role in enabling us to innovate, experiment, and implement solutions that address Sri Lanka’s key challenges. Together, we are fostering sustainable development, advancing research, and creating lasting impact across multiple sectors.

Where Government and Global Innovation Meet to Shape Sri Lanka’s Future

Citra Lab is Sri Lanka’s first Social Innovation Lab, established as a collaborative initiative between the Prime Minister’s Office and UNDP Sri Lanka. This unique partnership aims to drive forward-thinking solutions to national challenges, combining the power of government leadership with the innovation and global insights of the UNDP. Together, we focus on leveraging human-centred design and systems thinking to create sustainable, impactful change for the future of Sri Lanka.

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Our Process

We follow a seven-stage agile and iterative innovation process to develop solutions that are user-tested and fit for purpose.

Identification

The team takes on challenges on a case-by-case basis with consideration to issues that will have a positive and sustainable impact on the people of Sri Lanka. Challenges may be identified in two ways: (1) Issues can be presented to us by a partner from the government, development community or private sector, after which the team will work closely with relevant stakeholders to accurately frame the issue; or (2) The team can directly source a problem to work on based on an assessment of its potential for positive impact.

System Thinking

Systems thinking is the process of understanding how the various components that make up a system influence one another within a whole, under the fundamental assumption that everything is interconnected, and that causality is often not linear, but dynamic. During the systems thinking phase, the team works together to map out and unpack current processes and influencers, and analyse the positive, negative and neutral influences of each component within a process, and how it affects the overall challenge.

Engagement

During the engagement phase, the team gathers insights from all relevant stakeholders, with a special focus on the users and grassroot-level officials delivering services, to identify roadblocks and bottlenecks within a process or institution. If appropriate, the team would conduct a design thinking workshop with relevant stakeholders at this stage to ideate and co-design solutions together with relevant partners.

Design

With the insights gathered from previous phases, and in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including government partners and end users, the team will work together to design a solution that effectively responds to the identified issues. Once a near-final iteration of the design is complete, a prototype will be developed for testing.

Testing

The prototype of the designed solution will be tested with a sample group of the intended audience to gauge the impact of the proposed solution and identify any usability issues. The team will work together to resolve any issues identified during the testing phase and re-test accordingly, going into a ‘Citra Loop’ until the team and implementing partner are satisfied that the solution is fit-for-purpose.

Handover

Once cleared, the solution will be handed over to a pre-identified organisation for implementation, with support from Citra, to ensure a smooth and effective implementation of the solution.

Evaluation

After the solution has been deployed for a while (determined on a case-by-case basis), the team will revisit and conduct an impact evaluation of the solution to ensure it is effectively addressing the issues and to evaluate any unintended implications of the solution.

Identification

Our
Team

Our Team

Meet the passionate and diverse team driving innovation and impact at Citra Lab. Together, we turn ideas into solutions for a brighter future.

Fadhil Bakeer Markar

Lab Lead / Team Lead, Policy and Engagement, UNDP

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Instrumental in the establishment of Citra, Fadhil has been championing innovation efforts within UNDP and in Sri Lanka since 2014, and is currently the Team Lead of UNDP Sri Lanka’s Strategic Engagement, Digital, and Innovation Team, while also providing guidance and leadership to the Citra team. His interests primarily lie in public and social policy, digital transformation, youth policy and engagement, social innovation, and development communications. Fadhil holds a BSc in International Relations and a MSc in Social Policy and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

Ayushka Nugaliyadda

Economist and Systems Design Associate Lead

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Ayushka has been part of the Lab team since 2018, having previously worked at UNDP Sri Lanka’s Policy Unit. With a BA (Hons) in Economics from the University of Cambridge and a MSc in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences, she contributes to both the Lab and UNDP Sri Lanka’s data-related initiatives and research work, as well as support on policy and programmatic interventions on digital. Additionally, Ayushka is trained in design thinking, human-centred design, strategic foresighting, systemic design, and graphic facilitation.

Deshani Senanayake Godigamuwe

Digital Advocate for SL Country Office

Gender & Experimentation Lead

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With a BA in International Results and Double Minor in Gender & Sexuality Studies and Psychology from Cornell College, USA, and a MA in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Colombo, Deshani anchors the digital transformation and public sector modernization work Citra takes on, while also pulling the threads together on all digital work that the UNDP Sri Lanka Country Office undertakes, working closely with the Chief Digital Office. She is also responsible for gender mainstreaming and portfolio experimentation at the Lab. Deshani is trained in human-centred design, design thinking, graphic facilitation, and signal scanning.

Inola Samaranayake

Innovation Support Consultant

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Inola Samaranayake is a licensed researcher with published work and extensive experience in behavioral science, social innovation, and public relations. She has contributed to impactful projects, including research for Google knowledge graph projects and initiatives at UNDP’s Citra Innovation Lab. In her current role, she supports Citra in designing, developing, and implementing co-design workshops, facilitating dialogues, and developing solutions aimed at fostering innovative, citizen-centric and holistic responses to key societal challenges. Inola holds a B.Sc. in Psychological Sciences from Northern Arizona University, which has equipped her with a strong foundation in research and innovation.

Sarika Warusavitarana

Sociologist and Solutions Mapping Associate Lead

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As the Sociologist in the team, with a BA (Hons) in English with minors in Sociology and International Results and a MA in Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Colombo, Sarika works on the Lab’s research and data initiatives. She brings with her a wealth of experience from working at the Policy Unit in UNDP Sri Lanka, and continues to study the interaction between societal trends and issues on the ground. She is also a trained facilitator, well-versed in techniques around design thinking, human-centred design, graphic facilitation, and signal scanning.

Ralani Weerasinghe

Learning and Skills Programme Associate

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At the forefront of UNDP’s skills-building programmes that develop capabilities of youth, educators, and public sector officials, Ralani anchors the Lab’s work on fostering next-generation, future-fit skills, through flagship initiatives such as the HackaDev and Citra’s various capacity building initiatives. She holds a BEng (Hons) in Telecommunications and Networks from Birmingham City University, UK, a MSc in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Asia e-University, Malaysia, and is experienced in human-centred design, design thinking and training facilitation.

Yasas Thalagala

Strategic Engagement & Exploration Lead

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Yasas serves as the focal point for Citra’s multi-sectoral stakeholder engagement and is the Lab’s Project Manager. With an MSc in Sustainable Management and prior experience with UN Volunteers, UNOPS, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and UNDP, he brings meticulous, detail-oriented organizational skills to his role. Yasas is responsible for coordinating the Lab’s processes and interventions, managing its resource mobilization strategy, and fostering stakeholder relationships. He is also trained in design thinking, human-centered design, and systemic design techniques, which underpin his approach to driving impactful solutions.

Darshatha Gamage

Skills and Innovation Consultant

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Darshatha has extensive experience in youth capacity development, peacebuilding, innovation, digital rights, democracy and media literacy. He previously served as Head of Programmes at Hashtag Generation and has a strong network within the civic space. Darshatha has completed B.Sc in Management and Information Technology from the University of Kelaniya and B.Sc in International Relations from the University of London, International Programme.

Ahamed Nishadh Najeem

Technical Consultant - Systems Development

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Ahamed is the Technical Consultant - Systems Development taking the lead on the technological aspects of the Joint Programme on “Transforming Local Administrative Data Collection Systems for SDG Acceleration in Sri Lanka”. His experience working on various digital and digital transformation projects within the government and private sector locally and internationally will help navigate the technological challenges within the project. Ahamed has a Bachelors in Computing from Staffordshire University UK, an Executive Master’s in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Asia e-University Malaysia as well as a PGDip in Cybersecurity Policy from the Bandaranaike Academy for Leadership and Public Policy (BALPP).

Banura Nandathilake

Project Assistant

CRVS Project Team

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Banura supports the implementation of the Capacity Development for Local Governance (CDLG) project as a UN Volunteer, bringing experience from previous multidisciplinary engagements and initiatives at UNDP. His academic background includes a BSc (Hons) in International Relations from the University of London, and he is currently pursuing a Master’s in Development. His passion for advancing inclusive development through technology and digitalization drives his contributions to the project.

Kithmini Nissanka

Project Analyst

CRVS Project Team

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Kithmini takes the lead in the implementation of the Joint Programme on “Transforming Local Administrative Data Collection Systems for SDG Acceleration in Sri Lanka” with her extensive experience in working with multiple governmental and non-governmental stakeholders. Her background in working with the entrepreneurship ecosystem and young people in Sri Lanka previously, adds valuable perspectives in navigating complex project environments that Citra takes on. Kithmini holds a BA (General) and a Master’s in Regional Development and Planning from the University of Colombo, as well as an Executive Master’s in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Asia e-University Malaysia.

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About Citra

We prototype and test development solutions to ensure they are agile and holistic before nationwide implementation

Innovating for Impact

Driving systemic reform, reimagining government systems to deliver citizen-focused public services and policies for Sri Lanka's development.

Partnering with ministries to innovate operating models, enabling skills transfer and lasting transformation in public sector services.

Supporting participatory, data-driven approaches to develop and implement policies, for aligned and consistent government initiatives.

OurPartners

Our Partners

Where Government and Global Innovation Meet to Shape Sri Lanka’s Future

Our Process

Our Team

Our Team

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Stay informed on the latest innovations and breakthroughs at Citra Lab.

Our
Partners

Our
Team