THE SASAKAWA PEACE FOUNDATION

Searching for Peace in Sri Lanka: Exploring the Role of Non-governmental Actors in the Peace Process

12,000,000 yen (Grant project)
Sewalanka Foundation (Sri Lanka)

After a long period of civil war between the Sinhalese and Tamil, Sri Lanka has been under ceased-fire conditions, which are mediated by Norway. In Sri Lanka, the power of political leaders is based on religion, and Buddhist and Hindu leaders have quite different opinions on peace making processes. Top level dialogue has stopped and peace negotiations have not progressed at all. The project aims to organize workshops to discuss autonomy and peace making processes on each side with 48 invited participants. Then, the Sewalanka Foundation will organize dialogue workshops with invited religious leaders from both groups to discuss methods for reconciliation. The project is a trial to test the effectiveness of this approach toward conflict resolution.

Activities of the year will be as follows.

Workshops in Sri Lanka (6 times)
Three-day long unilateral workshops will be held six times with invited religious leaders on each side, and the Sewalanka Foundation will organize bilateral dialogue workshops in which religious leaders from both sides will participate in Kandy, Galle, Jaffina, and Trincomalee. The bilateral dialogue workshops will involve an anticipated 48 participants selected from last year’s unilateral workshops.
Bangkok Retreat Workshop (4 days in November, 2006)
Twenty-one participants will be selected from among the 48 participants at the bilateral dialogue workshops with consideration given to achieving a balance among Hindu, Catholic, and Islamic leaders. They will participate in the Retreat Workshop in Bangkok and seminars in Colombo and Kilinochchi to share their experiences.
Compilation of a report
A report entitled “Roles of the Private Sector in Peace Making Processes: A case study in Sri Lanka” will be compiled.

(Final year of a 2-year project)