News

NPC will begin a new project to improve the knowledge and capacities of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) staff funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CLFI) with a goal to improving accountability in Sri Lanka.

A workshop on pluralism and conflict transformation was held in Jaffna for 27 members of the sub committees of District Inter Religious Committees (DIRCs) in Jaffna, Vavuniya and Batticaloa under NPC’s project Plural Action for Conflict Transformation project (PACT). The sub committees were set up in areas prone to religious and ethnic tension so that conflict could be avoided and handled through dialogue and cooperation.

A NPC team visited Sabaragamuwa University to assess the progress of its forthcoming project on  inclusive service delivery. NPC is planning to offer an advanced certificate course on sustainable peace through inclusive service delivery at the Ruhuna, Sabaragamuwa, Jaffna and Eastern universities as a part of a Freedom House funded project, Pluralism and Inclusive Service Delivery.

Three programmes on pluralism to provide knowledge, skills and attitudes to recognize the pluralistic nature of the society were carried out targeting 137 youth wing members in Beruwala, Vavuniya and Trincomalee under NPC’s Action for Religious Coexistence (ARC) project.

A Language Audit Training for the Batticaloa District was held for 20 religious leaders, Local Inter Religious Committee (LIRC) members, youth and community leaders under NPC’s Language to Reconciliation (L2R) project in collaboration with its partner, Butterfly Peace Garden.

A NPC team visited Sabaragamuwa University to assess the progress of its forthcoming project on inclusive service delivery. NPC is planning to offer an advanced certificate course on sustainable peace through inclusive service delivery at the Ruhuna, Sabaragamuwa, Jaffna and Eastern universities as a part of a Freedom House funded project, Pluralism and Inclusive Service Delivery.

Under its Action for Religious Coexistence (ARC) project, NPC held eight training programmes on pluralism targetting 50 Local Inter Religious Committee (LIRCs) members and 373 Youth Wing members to encourage community leaders to promote pluralism and social responsibility for ensuring religious freedom.

A workshop on understanding language rights and language policies was held in the Gampaha District for government officials, journalists, religious leaders, community police officers, community organisations and Local Inter Religious Committee (LIRC) members under NPC’s Language to Reconciliation (L2R) project funded by the Canadian government.

Under NPC’s Plural Action for Conflict Transformation (PACT) project, meetings to discuss economic discrimination, points of conflict and tension in relation to shared resources were conducted for District Inter Religious Committee (DIRCs) members in the Matara, Badulla, Anuradhapura, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Ratnapura, Kandy and Batticaloa districts.
DIRC members were able to identify if someone running a business had faced discrimination when obtaining services and materials or when manufacturing or selling products and goods because of his or her caste, class, religion or ethnicity in each district in the forms of killing, threatening, warning not to buy or sell products and goods or damaging or destroying property based by extremism, politics, hate speech, false stories and myths. Participants discussed the negative impact of discrimination on individuals and the economy and how it affected ethnic and religious harmony and development of the country.

Fifty representatives from the Ampara, Batticaloa, Kandy, Kurunegala, Vavuniya and Mannar districts took part in an inter district review meeting to mark the end of NPC’s 30-month Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) project.

NPC is collaborating with the Eastern University of Sri Lanka (EUSL) to hold a certificate course on sustainable peace through inclusive services delivery. NPC will offer the same course with the universities of Ruhuna, Sabaragamuwa and Jaffna under the Freedom House funded project, Pluralism and Inclusive Service Delivery.

The issue of language was a key dividing factor in the early years of Sri Lanka’s independence and one of the root causes of the ethnic conflict that escalated into a 30 year internal war, and continues to be a great divider.

A series of training programmes were held under NPC’s Plural Action for Conflict Transformation (PACT) project for 259 administrative officers, planning unit officers, development officers and field officers from different government institutions to increase knowledge on right to information, pluralism, mediation, fundamental rights, conflict resolution and the duties and responsibilities of government officials.

Two training programmes on pluralism for 50 Local Inter Religious Committee (LIRCs) members and 70 youth wing members in Mawanella were held under NPC’s project Action for Religious Coexistence (ARC), which is aimed at promoting the attitudes of respect and acceptance for a multi religious society.

NPC held six training programmes for 286 youth from the Mannar, Batticaloa, Kandy, Kurunegala, Vavuniya and Ampara Districts under its Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) project. Participants included National Youth Council members, university students, youth parliamentarians and youth club members.

Ten representatives from Sri Lanka visited Bangladesh under the project Prevention of Violent Extremism Capacity Building in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, co-funded by the European Union and implemented in Sri Lanka by Helvetas Sri Lanka and NPC and in Bangladesh by Helvetas Bangladesh and Rupantar, to learn about Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) strategies, approaches and best practices of PVE intervention.