A seminar to advance the reconciliation process through inclusive dialogue and collective action was held in Kandy, bringing together over 100 civil society representatives from diverse sectors alongside partners including the Kandy District Inter Religious Committee, Kandy Civil Society Coalition, Youth Democracy Congress, Social Solidarity Foundation, Lanka Teachers' Union and the Association of LGA members.
NPC Executive Director Dr. Jehan Perera provided an overview of transitional justice frameworks, emphasising the urgent need for an active and credible truth seeking commission to address past injustices and build public trust; Prof. Deepika Udagama, former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, shed light on the mechanisms required to ensure justice for missing persons while discussing procedural and institutional challenges; and Prof. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri from the University of Colombo examined the current landscape of civil society activism, highlighting the pressing need to strengthen civic engagement and enhance the effectiveness of reconciliation initiatives in a complex socio-political environment.
Kandy Local Government Authority Members' Forum representative, V. G. Mangalika, stressed that people had forgotten about disappeared people and their families and that programmes like this were important to create public awareness, adding that society must openly discuss those who were killed, questioning why perpetrators whether in 1971, 1989 or otherwise were not being identified and punished.
S.A.S. Senanayake of the Kandy Mantharana Sabhawa noted that people did not speak enough about ensuring justice for victims and questioned whether the institutions appointed to investigate disappearances were effective.
A memorandum was submitted to the Central Provincial Governor as an initial step towards strengthening the national approach to reconciliation while a leaflet distribution campaign across Kandy city raised public awareness and encouraged community engagement. This initiative reaffirmed the role of civil society as a driving force in the journey toward sustainable peace and social justice.