Officials from the Norwegian Embassy met with the Sinhala-Tamil-Muslim Rural Women's Network (STMRWN) in Kantale in Trincomalee District on 26 October. STMRWN works to bring together women from the different ethnic communities in the district. Their work has been funded by approximately 18.5 million rupees from the Norwegian Embassy.
Programme for Tsunami Affected People
Large number of people including the beneficiaries of this ongoing project has been affected by the recent tsunami catastrophe. ACCDC has requested to use the remaining funds of their ongoing programme and the Embassy approved the diversion of half the funds remaining under this peace building programme to providing the people with immediate relief and for support to restore their livelihoods.
The project beneficiaries from fishery community and coir industry were severe affect by tsunami and still they have not filled the gaps. They would have to build up their livelihood again. ACCDC has involved in immediate relief work during the first week after tsunami. At present they are involved with number of activities under livelihood restoration and infrastructure development activities. They have handed over small fishers with outrigger boats and nets and equipment to the fisher families. In Rakawa area repaired a coir mill, which provides self-employment for 30 families in the surrounding area and also provided coir rope machines to 43 families. Construction of permanent latrines, drinking water tanks, renovation of houses and counseling programmes on post disaster situation management are some of the other ongoing programmes of ACCDC under tsunami relief programme with Norwegian financial support.
Development Cooperation between Norway and Sri Lanka
Norway has supported development activities in Sri Lanka since 1967. During the first years activities were supported through Non-Government Organisations. In 1976, the Governments of Norway and Sri Lanka signed a bilateral agreement on development cooperation. Support to projects proposed by the Government of Sri Lanka commenced in 1977. The bilateral development cooperation has now been ongoing for 27 years.
The present Norwegian guidelines for the development cooperation have been in force since 1998. The previous guidelines were adjusted on the background of the long lasting armed ethnic conflict. The emphasis of the cooperation was made more relevant to the overriding obstacles to development presented by the conflict. The challenge for Norway was to cooperate with Sri Lanka in such a way that the cooperation directly and indirectly contributed to a cessation of the conflict, reconciliation and the basis for a lasting peace. The cooperation since 1998 has been concentrated on the following two main areas:
Peace, reconciliation and human rights
Economic development with a focus on employment creation
A third concentration area: Rehabilitation, has been more important from the end of 2002
Norwegian assistance to Sri Lankan has geographically been concentrated to the southern part of the country. This is still the situation today. Out of the total development assistance from Norway to Sri Lanka approximately 50% goes to the southern part of the country. 30% goes to countrywide activities and 20% to the north/east.
Within peace, reconciliation and human rights Norway has channelled funds to a broad area of activities, through the Government Institutions, NGO’s, Universities and Private Sector Organisations. The support to Government projects includes; The National Integration Programme, establishment of the Peace Secretariat and an Information Unit. Support to NGO's activities includes: Seminars, conferences and discussion groups on peace, conflict resolution and reconciliation; advocacy campaigns; peace building media advertisements; research and documentation; capacity building and strengthening of communities; election monitoring; human rights education and monitoring; and peace programmes in villages and rural communities. The support to these various activities may have contributed to an increased positive attitude in the Sri Lankan population towards a negotiated peaceful solution to the conflict.
The Norwegian involvement in peace and reconciliation issues is also a main contribution towards poverty alleviation in Sri Lanka. Within the area economic development with a focus on employment creation, Norway has supported a broad range of Government projects and programmes, NGO projects and activities carried out by private sector associations. These includes: Integrated Rural Development Programmes in Hambantota, Moneragala and Batticaloa; water supply; power supply and electricity: vocational training; employment policy analysis; competence – and institution building; industrial development; entrepreneur training and service centres; social mobilisation and micro-credit facilities; agriculture and fish processing units; and solid waste management.
Within rehabilitation Norway has provided funding for rehabilitation of 40 schools in the east; rehabilitation of part of the railway line and rural roads in Batticaloa; rehabilitation of water reservoirs in Jaffna; capacity building in Vanni and mine-clearance in north/east.
For more information on Norwegian development cooperation visit NORAD's webpage.