Promoting social cohesion and peace

Context

Sri Lankan society is deeply divided. This is due to centuries of colonialism, violent conflicts and ethnic polarisation. More than a decade after the end of the armed conflict between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government, conflicts along ethnic, religious and linguistic lines are entrenched in the social fabric.

The Sri Lankan population urgently wants peace and stability. However, widespread mistrust, socio-economic inequalities and limited institutional capacities are impeding significant progress towards an inclusive, peaceful and prosperous society.

Objective

Social cohesion among the different ethnic, religious and linguistic communities in Sri Lanka has been strengthened.

Approach

The project has three components:

• It supports the resilience and capacities of communities and institutions to deal with violence and exclusion.
• It promotes diverse, inclusive and fact-based public discourse.
• Furthermore, it develops economic incentives and opportunities to support cooperation between ethnic groups and provide equal access to resources.

For long-term results, the project supports institutional capacities not only in an individual component, but also provides them with overarching support. Further topics beyond individual components are gender equality and multilingualism.

Social cohesion requires a collective approach that involves society as a whole. The projects therefore works across the country and cooperates with actors from the government, civil society and the private sector. The measures are implemented primarily in cooperation with partner organisations.

Last update: May 2023