News

NPC’s Executive Director Dr Jehan Perera called for universities to play a more active role in addressing social tensions, strengthening reconciliation and helping public institutions respond to problems of exclusion. He made the remarks delivering the keynote address at the Eighth Research Conference organised by the Faculty of Arts and Culture of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. The conference had the theme Harmonious Co-Existence in Pluralistic Societies.

NPC convened a dialogue bringing together Sri Lanka’s two principal institutions dealing with the past, the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) and the Office for Reparations (OR) with international human rights lawyer and New York University Professor of Law Vasuki Nesiah. NPC is currently engaged in working with the OMP with support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).

NPC’s Women Organizing for Inclusion through Community Engagement (WOICE) project conducted five training sessions in the districts of Monaragala, Matara, Kegalle, Polonnaruwa and Kandy, bringing together about 30 participants per session - totalling over 120 dynamic women leaders - engaging peer groups, senior super groups and vibrant WOICE youth members.

Nearly nine months after Cyclone Ditwah caused widespread destruction across Sri Lanka, many unresolved issues continue to burden members of the Malaiyaha community. Most critically, affected community members face severe difficulties when applying for compensation and essential documents lost during the disaster, including national identity cards, birth and marriage certificates, student school records and land deeds.

What happens when a country tries to rebuild while still carrying the weight of unresolved grievances, economic hardship, disaster, political uncertainty and social division?

For NPC, the answer cannot be to wait for stability before beginning the work of reconciliation. It is in this challenging context that NPC has launched ACT NOW - Accountability, Cohesion and Trust for Non-discrimination, Ownership and Wellbeing, a new initiative designed to strengthen reconciliation, inclusion and democratic resilience across 12 districts.

The National Peace Council (NPC) sincerely thanks all individuals and organisations who generously contributed to our Cyclone Ditwah humanitarian relief effort.

NPC received a total of Rs. 3,579,550.29 in donations, with the last donation recorded and received on 31 December 2025. The collection of donations for this relief effort has now been closed.

Relief activities using the funds collected are already underway to support affected families and communities. Upon completion of these activities, NPC will publish a full report detailing the relief activities carried out and the utilisation of the funds collected.

NPC extends its sincere gratitude to all donors for their generous contributions and support. Your solidarity and generosity have enabled us to provide much-needed assistance to communities affected by the disaster.

Thank you for standing with those in need during this difficult time.

NPC commenced a new project titled Building Safe and Effective HRDs in Estate Sector Communities supported through the Carter Center’s ACCELERATE initiative. The project will be implemented in the districts of Nuwara Eliya and Badulla, two areas with large concentrations of Malaiyaha Tamil estate sector communities who continue to face long-standing barriers in accessing documentation, welfare, schooling, housing, disaster-related support and administrative services.

NPC expresses its profound sorrow at the passing of Dr. Devanesan Nesiah, one of Sri Lanka's most respected public intellectuals, civil servants and advocates of peace and reconciliation. His life of public service, moral courage and intellectual integrity has left an enduring mark on Sri Lanka's search for a just and inclusive peace.

NPC took Sri Lanka's experience in responding to climate change and disaster recovery to the regional stage when Executive Director Dr. Jehan Perera, board member Mrs. Visaka Dharmadasa and Senior Project Officer Arafaath Rahby participated in the Climate, Peace and Security Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal.

For many years the residents of Palu Wewa, a small rural village in the Polonnaruwa District, lived with a challenge that many communities take for granted - access to safe drinking water. Every night, long after most people had gone to sleep, families in the village would wake up to collect water whenever it finally flowed through the taps.

Under its Plural Action for Inclusion, Reconciliation, and Social Justice (PAIRS) project NPC, in collaboration with the Nuwara Eliya District Secretariat, the Walapane and Nildandahinna Divisional Secretariats, the Nuwara Eliya District Inter Religious Committee (DIRC) and the Cultural and Environment Society, organised a special mobile service programme on delivering effective services for communities affected by the Ditwah cyclone.

NPC brought together over 300 religious leaders, government officials, women and youth representatives, civil society actors and community members from 16 districts for the Religions to Reconcile: Advancing Ethical and Inclusive Reconciliation National Symposium, which served as the closing ceremony of the Plural Action for Inclusion, Reconciliation, and Social Justice (PAIRS) project implemented across the country from July 2024 to June 2026 with the support from Misereor/KZE and CAFOD.

NPC hosted a short term study abroad programme for eight students from Wake Forest University in the US on pluralism across religious and cultural differences led by Dr. Eranda Jayawickreme, the Harold W. Tribble Professor of Psychology at Wake Forest University, designed as an immersive learning journey through Sri Lanka’s complex social, religious, ethnic and cultural landscape.

Under NPC’s Women Organized for Inclusion through Community Engagement (WOICE) project, a youth awareness programme on vocational education was conducted at Welipitiya in the Matara District, bringing together 24 participants with the objective of enhancing their awareness of vocational education opportunities, skills development and future career pathways.

The Women Organized for Inclusion through Community Engagement (WOICE) National Symposium was held in Colombo, bringing together women leaders from Badulla, Kandy, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya, Matara, Monaragala and Polonnaruwa, where the project was implemented in its second phase.

The European Union funded Active Citizens for Elections and Democracy (ACED) project continued its efforts to promote inclusive governance and democratic participation in Sri Lanka. Three activities were implemented - a television interview series to counter negative narratives on devolution, a youth targetted social media campaign to promote youth political participation and a series of local level advocacy campaigns on youth participation in politics.