News

The Action for Religious Coexistence (ARC) team conducted a Training of Trainers (ToT) session in Minuwangoda bringing together 43 participants from 14 Local Inter Religious Committees (LIRCs) across 13 districts. The session was designed to equip NGO representatives with theoretical and practical knowledge on advocacy, activism and the complexities of hate speech.

Under NPC’s Active Citizens for Elections and Democracy (ACED) project funded by the European Union, a series of 12 training sessions were conducted in Ampara, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Galle, Kandy, Kurunegala, Mannar, Matara, Monaragala, Polonnaruwa, Vavuniya, and Kilinochchi Districts to enhance youth engagement in the electoral process.

Despite the fact that Sri Lankan women are highly educated and literate, only 4.8 percent of parliamentarians are women. To correct this imbalance, proactive action is needed by women and men. Under NPC’s Active Citizens for Elections and Democracy (ACED) project, an event was held aimed at securing a 25 percent quota for women in parliament.

NPC, through its People Unite for Justice and Accountability (PUJA) project, conducted district-based meetings to engage diverse networks including District and Local Inter Religious Committees, organic formations, master trainers and state officials to address the complexities of post-conflict justice while fostering dialogue and collaboration among communities divided by decades of conflict.

A series of information sessions on legislation and other initiatives relating to women was held across the districts of Badulla, Kandy, Kegalle, Matara, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya and Polonnaruwa as part of the second phase of the Women Organized for Inclusion through Community Engagement (WOICE) project, which is funded by the National Endowment for Democracy. The sessions were designed to address a crucial gap in the knowledge of women in the WOICE Super Group and Peer Group on laws affecting women’s rights and political participation.

In the village of Nochchikulam in the Vavuniya District, a small Telugu community of 86 families has been working hard to find recognition and acceptance. Most of the families are Christians while one family practices Hinduism. Their journey has been filled with challenges but their determination has kept them going.

NPC’s Mobilising University State Engagement for Reconciliation (MUSTER) project held a district training programme for 15 students from the University of Ruhuna to share knowledge and provide comprehensive guidance on qualitative research techniques that would be applied in the project’s research.

The Plural Action for Inclusion, Reconciliation and Social Justice (PAIRS) project conducted a scoping activity in the Polonnaruwa district to identify ethnic and religious tensions within the community. The event saw participation of 30 members of the District Inter Religious Committee (DIRC) including religious leaders, state officials, civil society organization members, local government authority representatives, media personnel and youth.

A video documentary capturing the experiences of the Malaiyaha community that sought to highlight the enduring challenges faced by this historically marginalised group, particularly their exclusion from public services and lack of inclusion in decision making processes, was screened in Colombo.

The effective implementation of democracy is vital for the economic, human and social development of any developing country. Ensuring human rights and democratic practices through institutions such as the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka is essential. International communities such as the European Union are keen to support the protection of public rights and freedom. Their involvement in election monitoring, legal reform and development assistance is crucial.

The effective implementation of democracy is vital for the economic, human and social development of any developing country. Ensuring human rights and democratic practices through institutions such as the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka is essential. International communities such as the European Union are keen to support the protection of public rights and freedom. Their involvement in election monitoring, legal reform and development assistance is crucial.

A Training of Trainers programme for 57 supergroup women from the districts of Badulla, Kandy, Kegalle, Matara, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya and Polonnaruwa was held in Colombo under held the second phase of NPC’s Women Organized for Inclusion through Community Engagement (WOICE) project.

A mindful storytelling workshop was held in Minuwangoda under NPC’s People Unite for Justice and Accountability (PUJA) project, aiming to address issues such as enforced disappearances and human rights violations.

A meeting was held in the Matara District under NPC’s Sustainable Peace through Pluralism and Inclusive Service Delivery project funded by Freedom House where a video documentary, which captured the challenges faced by the Malaiyaha community due to a lack of inclusion, was screened. The meeting was coordinated by Mr. Amarasena Samarathunga from Matara and facilitated by Sabaragamuwa University Senior lecturer Mr. Ravindra Palliyaguru.

The University of Jaffna hosted a district facilitation meeting for the research pods involved in the Mobilizing University State Engagement for Reconciliation (MUSTER) project. The meeting was attended by key stakeholders including four mentors and the university coordinator as well as the District NGO Coordinator, District Cultural Officer and District Integration Officer who contributed to discussions on the district's pressing issues.

The Action for Religious Coexistence (ARC) team conducted an exchange visit for representatives from Weligama Local Inter Religious Committee (LIRC), Akurana LIRC and Vavuniya LIRC to foster cultural understanding and collaboration among the diverse communities.