Resilience the key to post-conflict development
By Lalin FERNANDOPULLE
The Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI) has launched a constructor
capacity development program in the North and the East to improve skills
of construction craftsmen in the regions, said Secretary General/CEO,
CCI, Dakshitha Thalagodapitiya.
He was speaking at a meeting to launch the international conference
on Building Resilience to Disasters from July 19-21 at Heritance
Kandalama, Dambulla.
He said the chamber has commenced training around 10,000 construction
craftsmen in both regions which need skilled workers to undertake
reconstruction.
Reconstruction and rehabilitation are dire needs in the North and the
East which were devastated by the conflict. Lack of skilled workers has
impeded the pace of reconstruction in the North and the East.
Thalagodapitiya said that capacity development of regional
construction industries is essential to ensure that the benefits of
reconstruction trickles down to the people.
“Resilience is the key to reconstruction and rehabilitation. The
chamber has played a vital role in reconstruction efforts of the
government,” he said.
The conference will focus on building social resilience to natural
and human induced disasters. Around 65 international delegates and 45
Sri Lankan academics, practitioners, professional and policy makers are
expected at the conference.Prof. Dilanthi Ameratunga of the University
of Salford, UK said that the conference will be centred on
interdisciplinary approaches on disaster risk reduction and development
of sustainable communities and cities.
“Building resilience will help mitigate the impact of man-made and
natural disasters and help save the colossal waste on reconstruction”,
she said.
Sri Lanka was selected as the venue to host the event due to the vast
opportunities for reconstruction and rehabilitation in the post-conflict
and post tsunami era. The previous conference was held in Sri Lanka in
2008 on disaster mitigation. The next conference will be held in Japan
next year. |
