USAID/OTI Sri Lanka Field Report
July 2005
Program Description
USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) program in Sri Lanka aims to generate greater support for a negotiated peace settlement to end the island nation's longstanding internal conflict. To accomplish this, USAID/OTI seeks: to mobilize and link peace constituencies through support for inclusive, collaborative planning in strategic communities; to increase understanding of key transition issues through increased information, dialogue and debate; and to capitalize on key windows of opportunity to mitigate conflict and to generate momentum for the peace process.
Working with local nongovernmental organizations, informal community groups, media entities, and local government officials, USAID/OTI attempts to identify and support critical initiatives that move the country along the continuum from war to peace. Development Alternatives Inc. implements the $34.8 million small-grants program and manages USAID/OTI offices in Colombo, Trincomalee, Ampara and Matara.
Since the program began in March 2003, USAID/OTI has cleared 433 small grants worth approximately $12.34 million.
Country Situation
Electoral uncertainties – Sri Lanka's two dominant political parties are in conflict over the timing of the next presidential election. The opposition United National Party (UNP) is in full campaign mode and has nominated former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as its presidential candidate. The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), until recently the ruling majority coalition government, has officially designated current Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse as its candidate. The issue in dispute is whether the president's term ends in 2005 or 2006. The island's elections commissioner will have the final say. If there is to be an election before 2006, he must call it by August. Sri Lanka also grapples with the prospect of early parliamentary elections this year if the government should fail to pass a budget for 2006, which is due in November. The next general election is otherwise scheduled for 2010.
Joint tsunami-relief mechanism in limbo – A restraining order sought by hard-line Sinhalese nationalist political parties and supported by the Supreme Court has temporarily suspended a recently signed government aid-sharing deal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). This "joint mechanism" was signed amid much political controversy and caused a split in the government that broke up the majority-coalition of the ruling SLFP government. Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga maintained that the deal was an administrative mechanism to ensure equitable distribution of tsunami relief to Tamil-held regions, while opposition groups claimed that the deal was an infringement on the country's sovereignty. The court ruled that the agreement is legitimate in principal, but rejected specific clauses and issued a temporary suspension. While this court ruling does not mean the agreement is completely null, it is a serious setback to timely implementation of tsunami-relief activities.
Cease-fire violations and increasing tension in the East – Many people have been injured or killed in a variety of incidents in July, including members of the police and the Sri Lankan armed forces. Altogether, more than 70 people have been killed since February. President Chandrika Kumaratunga has complained to the co-chairmen of the country's peace process that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are in clear violation of the terms of the country's cease-fire agreement. At a meeting with the Colombo-based diplomatic representatives of the co-chairmen, including U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead, Kumaratunga listed violations that include recruitment of child soldiers, assassinations of individuals opposed to the LTTE, and the killing of policemen and soldiers. An ongoing low-intensity conflict between LTTE factions has been occurring in the East since a split in the LTTE in March 2004. One LTTE faction accuses the government of providing logistics and intelligence support to the breakaway LTTE faction, an allegation that the government denies. The co-chairmen have urged the government to improve the security situation and also called on the LTTE to prevent killings. They also emphasized that responsibility for maintaining the cease-fire agreement is the responsibility of both the government and the LTTE.
Government escort of LTTE operatives contested – Norwegian-led international truce monitors have intervened in the contentious matter of government-provided security for LTTE members traveling through government-held areas. The LTTE claims that the cease-fire agreement obliges the military to provide security to its traveling senior members, and that failing to do so will compel the LTTE to use its own armed forces as escorts. Under the terms of the cease-fire agreement, the LTTE is allowed to move freely through government areas to conduct its political work in the North and East. The LTTE issued its ultimatum as a result of an attack in which more than 40 cadres narrowly escaped injury in June. In response, the LTTE has shut down political offices in government-held areas in the East, and has relocated its political officers back to areas that the LTTE controls. The move is seen by many as a prelude to a hardening of rebel positions. President Kumaratunga has appealed for calm, and has promised to ensure strict adherence to the cease-fire by the armed forces.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
OTI cleared 17 new grants with an estimated total value of $777,671 during July.
The Ampara office cleared six grants in July. Four of these grants will be used to repair or rehabilitate essential infrastructure - some of which was damaged by the December tsunami - including roads, irrigation canals, and a central market facility. Another will bring together multi-ethnic youths to celebrate differences and explore common experiences through cultural activities. Finally, one grant will promote messages of peace and co-existence to pilgrims from all ethnic groups attending the multi-religious Katharagama festival.
The Matara office had two new grants during July. The grants were to develop peace awareness and to help create a human infrastructure for peace, with one grant focusing on skills-building and creating a network among youth leaders. The other grant will facilitate broader awareness for key leaders from the area on issues related to good governance, federalism and peace.
The Trincomalee office also had new grants in July. Two grants focused on creating peaceful co-existence through enhanced livelihoods: One grant creates a system of cooperation and interdependence among farmers from several villages in one of the most troubled areas in Trincomalee Division, while the other seeks to improve employment prospects for a multi-ethnic group of youths. Two grants are focused on developing critical skills in conflict-resolution and peace-building for local leaders: One is focused on teachers, and the other on local government officers, religious leaders and school staff.
The Colombo office's new grants include one that will raise the awareness of and support for a federal solution to address conflict issues in the North and East. Another grant supports the bringing together of youths from throughout the island in the first ever Sri Lankan Youth Parliament, where issues of peace and conflict-resolution will be discussed. A third grant focuses on developing a capacity to produce community radio, with an emphasis on conflict-sensitive reporting. And, finally, a grant supports a project that will bring together youths from 10 universities across the island to debate and discuss current issues related to political transition in Sri Lanka.
B. Grant Activity Summary – March 2003 through July 2005
| Civil Society Organization Support |
2 |
$105,241 |
11 |
$ 348,014 |
| Civil-Military Relations |
|
|
1 |
$ 209,369 |
| Community Impact Activities |
7 |
$343,936 |
267 |
$8,614,693 |
| Conflict Management |
5 |
$166,502 |
55 |
$1,067,749 |
| Election Processes |
|
|
2 |
$ 10,845 |
| Ex-Combatant Reintegration |
|
|
1 |
$ 72,226 |
| Justice/Human Rights |
|
|
5 |
$ 145,875 |
| Media |
3 |
$161,992 |
52 |
$ 1,643,364 |
| Mine Action |
|
|
2 |
$ 2,198 |
| Transparency/Good Governance |
|
|
37 |
$ 230,935 |
| TOTAL |
17 |
$777,671 |
433 |
$12,345,268 |
C. Indicators of Success
Women's Rural Development Society expands positive impact –
In May 2004, the Office of Transition Initiatives began working with a Women's Rural Development Society from Sivapuram, a Tamil village in Trincomalee on the east coast of Sri Lanka. The society submitted a grant proposal for the provision of agricultural inputs, but also wished to strengthen a collaborative relationship with the women's society of Dehiwatte, an adjacent Sinhala village. In the past, violence had frequently occurred in the area, and the two women's societies wanted to build strong relationships that might help to prevent similar problems in the future. The groups designed language-training and peace-education activities into their grant, in addition to practical training on issues related to agriculture. There was a strong vision to work together to develop micro-credit and economic-development activities that would be of mutual benefit to all farmers - regardless of ethnicity - who inhabit these two villages. A joint management committee was formed with both Tamil and Sinhalese members to oversee grant activities.
In June, following the abduction and murder of a police intelligence officer, inter-ethnic tensions and fear were high throughout the area surrounding Sivapuram. Because of the good relations that were formed between the two villages - relations facilitated and enhanced through OTI grant activities - leaders from Sivapuram were able to contact leaders in Dehiwatte directly. They obtained assurances that residents would intercede with militants and provide protection to the villagers in Sivapuram, and, thus, trouble was avoided.
University students learn powerful lessons about peace – In an effort to reach more than a million pilgrims from all ethnic and religious groups who annually attend the two-week Esala Festival in Katharagama, USAID/OTI developed a suite of grants to support several local organizations in staging a large-scale peace-promotion campaign. The campaign displayed more than 400 banners, distributed 50,000 environmentally friendly cloth sacks or "peace bags" printed with peace messages, and gave out more than 150,000 incense sticks urging pilgrims to light them while praying for peace to prevail in the country.
A student team was identified to conduct monitoring and evaluation of pilgrims' attitudes toward peace messages. These youths collected responses from 2,000 pilgrims and found that the peace-promotion campaign had reached more than 80 percent of those questioned. Eighty-four percent of respondents said they would seek to apply the spirit of peace felt in Katharagama to their daily lives. In a debriefing session, each student team member told his or her own story of what had been learned from the monitoring experience. All spoke of the suspicion that Tamil people showed them when the Tamils were approached to take the survey. The students learned first-hand of the harassment and discrimination experienced by Tamils, and they spoke of Sinhala people's views of Tamils as terrorists to be feared. Some members expressed their sadness that they did not know the Tamil language and could not directly speak to people, having to rely instead on others to interpret for them. The students all agreed with one team member who said that he "did not realize so many people wanted peace and that so many want to discuss it."
D. Program Appraisal
July was once again a very busy month, with the development of 17 new grants for clearance. Staff continued to work on the implementation of ongoing grants. Throughout the month, tension and insecurity were high in Trincomalee, and several workdays were lost due to strikes and other security concerns. The new office in Matara is up and running smoothly, and program activities are all on track. Program development activities with a number of universities across regions where OTI is working are beginning to produce impressive results. OTI continues to work in tsunami- and conflict-affected areas to try to reduce tensions and increase support for the peace process.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
In August, USAID/OTI Sri Lanka will:
- Increase OTI's response in tsunami-affected districts; funds received from the supplemental-funding bill are now available.
- Develop the capacities of external resource people to provide OTI with timely and useful monitoring and evaluation data in order to improve program effectiveness.
- Improve the program effectiveness of the implementation-team staff at a retreat scheduled for Aug. 7-9, where staff from all the field offices will come together to share best practices and address common problems.
- Continue to increase communication and the flow of information, particularly in and among tsunami-affected districts.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Elizabeth Callender, Asia and Near East Program Manager, 202-712-1243, ecallender@usaid.gov
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