News

The Bandarawela Local Inter Religious Committee (LIRC), established in 2022, has made significant headway in promoting religious harmony and coexistence in the region. The committee, composed of religious leaders, government officials, civil society members and journalists, has been working to foster understanding and cooperation among different religious communities.

Under the Sustainable Peace through Pluralism and Inclusive Service Delivery project funded by Freedom House, research was carried out to identify the shortcomings in delivering public services to the Malaiyaha community. The research focused on 10 estates and divisions in the Ratnapura district in areas where the Malaiyaha community lived.

A facilitation meeting was conducted in Horana for state officials including development officers and social service officers under the Protecting Civic Space (CPS) in Sri Lanka project to identify problems in the community focusing on the freedom of association.

A safety and security training session was organized under the People Unite for Justice and Accountability (PUJA) project in Colombo led by human rights activist Ruki Fernando for 24 representatives from Center for Human Rights and Development, Peace and Community Action, Right to Life and NPC.

A training workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation was held by NPC’s Mobilising University State Engagement for Reconciliation (MUSTER) project to enhance the participants' understanding of how monitoring and evaluation is conducted, supported by two specialists from GIZ who participated as resource persons.

A national advocacy session was conducted for representatives from NGOs from Batticaloa, Ampara, Vavuniya, Mannar and Trincomalee with the participation of political and religious leaders including MPs S.M.M. Musharaff and Alizhahir Moulana, party secretaries and NPC Executive Director Dr Jehan Perera.

Information sessions organized by the People Unite for Justice and Accountability (PUJA) project sparked a discourse on Transitional Justice (TJ) and truth telling among government officials and stakeholders. Led by NPC’s Executive Director Dr. Jehan Perera and Mr. Jagath Liyana Arachchi, sessions were held in Gampaha, Jaffna and Kandy to provide insights into TJ mechanisms and the need for truth acknowledgment.

In Kandy, a group of women is paving the way to enhance political representation for women within the region. These trailblazers were initially part of the Women Organized for Inclusion through Community Engagement (WOICE), a project that covered seven districts across Sri Lanka. Although the project has concluded, their commitment to fostering change in their communities continues.

The progress review meeting of the advanced certificate course on Sustainable Peace and Inclusive Service Delivery through Diversity was conducted in Negombo with the participation of representatives from Eastern, Jaffna, Ruhunu and Sabaragamuwa Universities, facilitated by NPC Chairman Dr. Joe William, NPC Treasurer Prof. T. Jayasingham and NPC Executive Director Dr. Jehan Perera.

The Outcome Harvesting Programme was held in Negombo, bringing together 28 participants from Local Inter Religious Committees (LIRCs) to share and analyse their success stories.

To work effectively on topics such as peace and reconciliation across communities with a variety of stakeholders requires knowledge and confidence in facilitation skills and workshop design.

A facilitation meeting was held in Kandy as an activity of NPC’s Protecting Civic Space in Sri Lanka (PCS) project to identify problems in the community and conduct appropriate measures focusing on freedom of association.

NPC continued its tradition of celebrating days that connect us all by marking Tamil and Sinhala New Year, focusing on the themes of the universe, the sun and unity.

In a world where the voices of youth are increasingly important, initiatives that nurture their potential to become tomorrow's leaders are essential. Recognizing this, the ARC project team recently organized a three-day residential training program aimed at religious coexistence and Mobile Journalism (MOJO).

WOICE sounds like voice, and the w stands for women. However, do women have a voice to articulate their difficulties and their needs? Do they have a voice to speak against the violence that goes on in their communities?

Under NPC’s Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) project, the Dehiovita Divisional Secretariat conducted a social cohesion activity focussing on International Women’s Day with the participation of over 130 women representing all ethnicities.