Transition Initiatives: Sri Lanka Field Report February 2004
Program Description
USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) Sri Lanka program assists in generating greater support for a negotiated peace settlement to end the long-standing conflict in Sri Lanka. To accomplish this aim, OTI’s three objectives are to:
- demonstrate tangible benefits of peace;
- increase the amount and exchange of information and diverse points of view on peace issues among various levels of society and within different communities; and,
- Ireduce or prevent incidents of violence in conflict-prone communities.
Based on these objectives, OTI provides grants that:
- support positive, community-based interaction among diverse groups of people;
- promote citizen involvement in community decision-making, particularly for rehabilitating community-based infrastructure;
- improve livelihoods and provide skills training; and
- increase the dissemination of balanced information and differing points of view.
Working with local NGOs, informal community groups, media entities, and local government officials, OTI identifies and supports critical initiatives that will move the country further along the continuum from war to peace. Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) implements the $3.5 million small grants program and manages USAID/OTI offices in Colombo, Trincomalee, and Ampara. Since program start-up in March 2003, OTI has cleared 113 small grants worth approximately $2.8 million.
Country Situation
REGISTRATION FOR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS – A record 6,000-plus candidates registered to stand for the April 2 national parliamentary elections, prompted by President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s February 7 decision to dissolve Parliament. This will be Sri Lanka’s third national election in four years. Under pressure from hard-liners within her own Sri Lanka Freedom Party, in February Kumaratunga removed 39 non-cabinet and deputy ministers from office. Among those sacked were the heads of the three ministries with significant responsibilities related to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugee returnees in the North and East, prompting concerns that the safety net for IDPs and refugees is being compromised during the run up to the April elections.
CONCERNS ABOUT ACCESS TO VOTING STATIONS – The ability of civilians living in LTTE-controlled areas to vote at polling stations in nearby government-controlled areas is a growing source of concern, particularly in light of the President’s control over the military. In the December 2001 parliamentary elections, the LTTE accused the President’s People’s Alliance of instructing government troops to prevent Tamils from entering government areas to vote. Not since 1987, under the supervision of the Indian Peacekeeping Forces (IPKF), has a national election truly involved island-wide polling. The strong position against a negotiated peace taken by the SLFP’s new alliance partner, the JVP, is expected to result in near-unanimous support among Tamils for the Prime Minister’s United National Front coalition.
UPCOMING PROVINCIAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS – Provincial council elections will follow the parliamentary polls, with voting set to begin April 22 in the Northwestern Province, traditionally a hotspot for election violence. Analysts fear that frustrations stemming from the national elections could spill over to the provincial polls in late April and May. For the first time, elections monitors – both international and local – will be allowed inside polling stations for both events. This will provide the Commissioner of Elections with independent witnesses, should he feel the need to annul the vote at any given location – a decision he would otherwise be reluctant to take due to insufficient evidence.
POLITICAL INSTABILITY IMPACTS DONOR SUPPORT – Continued political instability within the government, on top of the LTTE’s withdrawal from peace talks in April 2003, will further slow the pace of foreign assistance – particularly the large-scale development projects funded by multi-laterals. The World Bank said on February 11 that the sacking of Sri Lanka's parliament could hold up at least $176 million in WB aid, including $51 million targeted for the impoverished deep South – the hotbed for recruitment by the JVP, a political party which is skeptical of a negotiated peace with the LTTE. How and under what conditions to continue disbursing the $4.5 billion pledged at Tokyo last June, given the uncertain political climate, was high on the agenda of a meeting of donor nations held on February 17 in Washington.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
The program developed ten new grants in January which generally focused on bringing the benefits of peace to Sri Lanka’s deep south and the east. Four of the five southern grants were concentrated in Hambantota, a poverty stricken district that serves as a heartland base for the hardline JVP. In the past, Hambantota was the center of two youth insurrections that led to severe social fragmentation. Currently, it is a center for agitation and dissent against the peace process. Due to lack of educational and employment opportunities in Hambantota, youth unemployment remains high, and youth have been the target of extremist elements who use them to attain their anti-peace political goals. In light of this situation OTI is funding a grant for the construction of two youth development and training facilities. These training centers will include space for lecture rooms, a library, computer rooms, a gymnasium and a staff room.
The Ampara office continued its emphasis on livelihood initiatives and returnee communities while extending its geographic reach to include the district of Monaragala. In Monaragala, OTI funded a grant for fifteen students to perform a street drama in twenty-four public locations. The street drama will highlight the negative impact of war and the positive outcomes of peace, and encourage ethnic harmony and non-violence during the elections. The street drama will be performed weekly for four months.
A new grant supporting media and information dissemination activities was awarded to the local group Social Indicators to fund its Peace Confidence Index. The Peace Confidence Index is a polling process that provides a snapshot of public perceptions on peace-related issues and political developments.
B. Grant Activity Summary – USAID/OTI Sri Lanka
March 2003 Through February 2004
| Community Impact Projects |
45 |
$1,453,589 |
| Livelihoods |
33 |
$ 768,044 |
| Media and Information |
20 |
$ 360,409 |
| Conflict Mitigation |
15 |
$ 212,573 |
| Total |
113 |
$2,794,614 |
C. Indicators of Success
OTI grantee Islamic Relief Committee (ISRC) has completed construction of a new clinic for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and their host community in Puttalam district’s Kalpitiya Peninsula. The idea for the clinic was developed by a women’s community group comprised of members of both the host community and the IDP community. The clinic serves 728 Muslim, 93 Sinhalese and 80 Tamil families from five local villages as well as 802 Muslim families displaced from their home villages. A local mosque committee donated land for the facility while the Ministry of Health provided basic equipment and will cover maintenance costs for regular health services. Women in the area collected 10,000 Rupees to cover the electricity connection. Local youth helped to clear the site and planted trees and shrubs around the new facility. A volunteer from the OTI-funded “Deniyaya Housing Challenge” project, a Sinhalese youth, was chosen to supervise the construction in this predominately Muslim area area to enhance ethnic interaction on the project. Over thirty Sinhalese, Muslim and Tamil workers from the host and displaced communities worked together for a period of five months to complete the construction of this clinic. This collaborative effort is an example of how multi-ethnic and multi-religious groups can overcome obstacles to work together and demonstrate the benefits of peace. The clinic will be officially opened by the U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission in March.
In Puttalam OTI is funding the Sanasili Foundation to conduct a program aimed at inculcating an opposition to violence and war among students at 184 multi-ethnic schools. The program is also aimed at Puttalam Education Officers, school principals and skills development teachers. The Sanasili Foundation recently completed the first awareness workshop for 45 education officers. With extremely positive feedback from the participants, the Director of Educational Development for the district has agreed to incorporate the program into the Department of Education’s official curriculum. The competence of the grantee and its thoughtfully conceived program design were largely responsible for the strong buy-in to the program by the Department of Education. It should be noted that this OTI grant is the first time Sanasili has been funded by an international donor.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
In March OTI Sri Lanka will:
- Coordinate with USAID Sri Lanka’s Democracy and Governance (DG) program to design a USAID response to the elections scheduled for April 2. The DG program will take the lead on elections-related issues with OTI assisting where necessary;
- Continue to work with OTI Washington to finalize implementation plans for effective monitoring and evaluation of the OTI country program;
- Hire new staff to fill vacancies in Trincomalee and Colombo, plus begin planning for several new positions in light of increased funding in the next few months.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Rachel Wax, Program Manager, 202-712-1243, rwax@usaid.gov
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