News

Religious leaders, government officers and civil society activists at the Kuliyapitiya and Panduwasnuwara Local Inter Religious Committees’ (LIRCs) monthly meetings identified prevailing ethnic issues in the area and recommended a series of activities to address the issues. The meetings were held under NPC’s project Collective Engagement for Religious Coexistence (CERF).

District Inter Religious Committees (DIRCs) in eight districts - Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Nuwara Eliya, Matara, Kurunagala, Batticaloa, Hambantota and Galle - held their monthly meetings with necessary health regulations and social distancing rules in place to ensure the safety of its members, limiting numbers to between 20 to 25. Public Health Inspectors outlined precautions necessary to curtail the spread of Covid-19.

A training programme for marginalised groups on leadership and good governance was held on Delft Island in the Jaffna District with the participation of 60 people under NPC’s project Community Engagement and Initiatives for Transition (ACE-IT), which in funded by the European Union.

Several media conferences were held in several districts organized by District Inter Religious Committees (DIRCs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to promote an election free of hate speech and fake news in order to protect democracy and strengthen the ongoing peace and reconciliation process in the country.

An online course on Peace Building and Pluralism for Academics was conducted as part of NPC’s Creative Youth Engagement for Pluralism (C-YEP) project.

A meeting to raise awareness on the rights of marginalised people was held in Gampaha. A total of 65 participants attended the meeting, the first to be held after restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 were eased.

A Civil Society Platform (CSP) meeting was held in Anamaduwa with the participation of 75 civil society activists.

As the conditions imposed to stop the spread of Covid-19 were gradually eased, District Inter Religious Committees (DIRCs) across the country began having their regular meetings under health guidance and social distancing rules imposed by the government.

Master trainers conducted a training programme on Conflict Analysis and Management for 20 youth in Matara to provide knowledge, insight and skills in conflict analysis and management under the framework of pluralism under NPC’s project, Technical Assistance to Justice Institutions in Sri Lanka.

Negombo Local Inter Religious Committee (LIRC) held its monthly meeting following  health guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Thirty five members including religious leaders, civil society leaders, government  officers and community coordinating officers attended the meeting.

An information session on leadership, personality and skills development for community groups was organized in Ja-ela by the Gampaha District Human Rights First Aid Centre (HRFAC) under NPC’s project Accountability Through Community Engagement and Initiatives for Transition (ACE-IT), funded by the European Union.

The Consolidating Ongoing Multi-Level Partnership Actions for Conflict Transformation (COMPACT) project will begin its regular meetings, which had stopped during the Covid-19 lockdown, while adhering to all health advisory rules.

A new intervention funded by the European Union (EU) to strengthen Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to prevent violent extremism (PVE) in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will be implemented in Sri Lanka by NPC with support from Helvetas.

A new project titled Language to Reconcile (L2R) will be launched in June funded by the National Languages Equality Advancement Project (NLEAP), which is supported by the Canadian government. 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 three decade-long internal war.

Celebrations for Vesak, a significant event for Buddhists and Eid, the end of the fasting period for Muslims, could not be held on a large scale because of the prohibition of large gatherings and the curfew imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Fifty packs of dry rations worth Rs. 52,000 were provided to low income families in Kurunagala affected by the curfew under NPC’s Covid-19 relief programme funded by the Canadian government under its Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).