By: R. JayadevanThe British Foreign Office has published its proposal on conflict prevention in Sri Lanka. The proposal titled ‘The UK Peace Building Strategy (PBS)’ highlights four key areas to bring stability to decaying Sri Lanka.
These are:
A greater commitment to negotiated peace;
Improved safety and security in communities and adherence to human rights;
A governance reform agenda in key institutions, particularly the security services, to strengthen underlying conditions for a lasting peace; and
A strengthened civil society more effective in peace building.
Improved safety and security in communities and adherence to human rights;
A governance reform agenda in key institutions, particularly the security services, to strengthen underlying conditions for a lasting peace; and
A strengthened civil society more effective in peace building.
The report states: ‘The UK Peace Building Strategy (PBS) sets out how the British government will support the conditions necessary for a sustainable peace in Sri Lanka. It is jointly written by the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence’.
The report published in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website is reproduced below:
Aim:The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) is committed to helping build a peaceful, prosperous equitable Sri Lanka where the rights of all communities are respected and protected. The direct impact on human lives and suffering of 25 years of fighting in Sri Lanka has been immense. 70,000 people, have been killed, half a million internally displaced, and hundreds of thousands of others have left the country seeking a better life overseas.
The main barrier to unleashing Sri Lanka’s great potential is the violent conflict which drains financial, human and social capacity. Conflict affected areas lag well behind the rest of the country in economic and social development.
Proposed Action:The UK Peace Building Strategy (PBS) sets out how the British government will support the conditions necessary for a sustainable peace in Sri Lanka. It is jointly written by the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.
The strategy lays out how, between 2006 and 2009, the UK will continue to help Sri Lankans’ bring an end to the conflict and build a lasting peace through:
A greater commitment to negotiated peace;
Improved safety and security in communities and adherence to human rights;
A governance reform agenda in key institutions, particularly the security services, to strengthen underlying conditions for a lasting peace; and
A strengthened civil society more effective in peace building.
The British government has an interest in seeing a lasting peace in Sri Lanka which brings benefits to all sectors of society. Conflict between the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE/Tamil Tigers) has blighted Sri Lanka for decades. Violence and suffering is a daily occurrence. Only Sri Lankans can create peace in Sri Lanka, and unlock Sri Lanka’s full potential, but we believe that the international community can help create the conditions that are necessary for a sustainable transition to peace.
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