Skip to content Skip to footer

International Development

Factum Perspective: The President in New York

By Uditha Devapriya The last week has been very busy for President Ranil Wickremesinghe. First he travelled to Cuba, in time for the G77 Plus China Heads of State Summit in Havana from September 15 to 16. Largely dismissed by the Western press, the Summit saw the participation of delegations from more than a…

Read More

Factum Perspective: The Rise of Africa

The emergence of new economic powerhouses within Africa has been a defining recent phenomenon. These emerging powers are playing an increasingly pivotal role in shaping the continent's economic landscape, challenging established norms, and spearheading transformative development. Emerging powers like Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia are driving this change in Africa's trajectory, along with other…

Read More

Factum Perspective: The BRICS, SCO, and the emerging Multipolar order

By Shakthi de Silva Of late, headlines have been dominated by news of the BRICS deciding, at its 15th Summit in Johannesburg, to add six new members from 2024. The news should not necessarily come as a surprise, as the original members, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, agreed during the 14th BRICS…

Read More

Factum Perspective: Child Labor in Sri Lanka – A Stolen Childhood and an Uncertain Future

By Britney Martil In the serene landscapes of Sri Lanka, a dark reality persists beneath the surface, where the laughter of children is silenced by exploitation and deprivation. The term “child labor” takes on an alarming interpretation since it refers to employment that destroys the innocence of childhood and jeopardizes their potential and dignity. Child…

Read More

Factum Perspective: Putting de-dollarization in perspective

By Rumeth Jayasinghe “Our country is crashing and will soon no longer be the world standard, which will be our greatest defeat frankly in 200 years. There will be no defeat like that will take us away from being even a great power.” Donald Trump In its simplest sense, de-dollarization refers to the global shift…

Read More

Factum Perspective: Ranil Wickremesinghe’s mission to New Delhi

By Uditha Devapriya On July 2 and 3, Factum held its first Ambassadors’ Day at the Kataragama Esala Perahera. The event was attended by the Bangladeshi High Commissioner and the First Secretary to the Maldivian High Commission on the first day, and the Thai Ambassador on the second, which coincided with the final night of…

Read More

Factum Special Perspective: Politics, economics, and S. B. D. de Silva

By Kanishka Goonewardena “Capitalism is nothing if not the displacement of politics by economics.” This provocation by Fredric Jameson, the leading Marxist critic in the US, offers a fine insight with which to aim for some clarity amidst the confusion concerning the present crisis of Sri Lanka – which the Aragalaya has revealed, but…

Read More

Factum Special Perspective: The BRICS Bank and Multipolar Multilateralism

By Sanja de Silva Jayatilleka South Africa will be hosting the 15th BRICS summit this year from August 22 to 24, under the theme “Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism.” South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, addressing his National Assembly in this context, said that a strategic priority for his country was…

Read More

Factum Perspective: Central Bank Digital Currencies and Emerging Economies – Part II

Read Part I of this article here. By Kasun Thilina Kariyawasam In general, Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) can help businesses and individuals engage in international trade and investment, by providing a stable, regulated, and transparent currency that mitigates some of the risks associated with cross-border transactions. CBDCs for firms A CBDC can help…

Read More