Conflict Major obstacle to long-term development
"World Bank's conviction in formulating the New Assistance Strategy
to Sri Lanka it has been observed that the on-going conflict is a major
obstacle to the longer-term development of Sri Lanka" said World Bank
Country Director in Sri Lanka Dr (Ms) Naoko Ishii, addressing the
Business for Peace Forum of the Federation of Chamber of Commerce and
Industry in Sri Lanka (FCCISL) in Colombo. She spoke on "Post-Conflict
Development in Sri Lanka: Role of the World Bank".
Kosala Wickramanayake, President, FCCISL welcoming the guests said
that all should play a vigorous role in ensuring permanent peace in the
North and East as the war is nearing an end and rebuilding these areas
would require enormous effort and needs the cooperation and support of a
multiplicity of institutions.
He said that the World Bank is in a key position to assist this
country in the developmental process following the protracted conflict.
Dr Ishii said that over the years the development community struggled
with the question of whether it should best wait for a stable peace or
whether development was possible while there was an ongoing armed
conflict.
She said that in the case of Sri Lanka, the ceasefire agreement in
2002 created a space into which development could commence and
development community did so with some speed. Underlying thinking was
that if peace materializes, the country will get more aid for
development.
Dr Ishii said that in formulating the Assistance Strategy they have
consulted the government, and with a broad cross-section of the Sri
Lankan society across many parts of the Island.
She said that they had to find a methodology to make sure that
whatever they did was sensitive to the conflict and to help them be
alert to conflict sensitivities, the methodology they have developed is
one they call a conflict filter. They have to find an adequate impartial
and accessible grievance mechanism to listen to people's complaints
about a project.
Whether the managers and administrators of the project sensitive to
inter-ethnic issues like communicating in local languages, of an
appropriate mix themselves and making decisions transparently based on
the determined development needs of the community rather than political
and other considerations.
Dr Ishii said that one of the things they learned from their
consultation with communities is the importance of the community
livelihood projects they support to incorporate a psycho-social
component for people traumatized by violence in the conflict affected
areas the social preparation is a considerable challenge and the skills
of NGOs would be critical for the work.
She said that to capture opportunities to strengthen reconciliation
and inter-ethnic trust through projects would be done in education
programs by supporting English as a link language, working towards mixed
Tamil-Sinhala schooling and teachers' education.
She said that the North and East have been most severely affected by
the last 25 years of fighting and massive displacement of people.
Against this background they would assist through the Bank-funded
projects efforts to improve access to public services and enhance
livelihood opportunities in conflict affected areas with particular
focus on rehabilitation of roads, irrigation networks, water supply,
housing as well as health and education activities.
|