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.