Sri lanka

Among the 20 million people living in Sri Lanka there is a huge variety of ethnic groups such as Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Moors, Indian or Sri Lankan Tamil. The major religion is Buddhism, however, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity play an important role for many Sri Lankans as well. Over the last decades Sri Lanka has repeatedly been affected by violent conflicts among the different ethnic groups and today faces many problems such as poverty, social insecurity and internally displaced persons. In spite of various peace and/or ceasefire agreements, violence has increasingly been erupting since the end of 2006. In order to foster a transformation of the conflict, the JCCP is investigating the possibilities for a peace-building project in Anuradhapura/Sri Lanka.

For that purpose, the JCCP is closely cooperating with the Sewalanka Foundation, an non-governmental organization which has extensive experience with the planning and implementation of development projects in Sri Lanka. At the moment, Ms. Aya Tobiki (JCCP’s Sri Lankan Project Coordinator) is coordinating the research activities, to determine the final project design. One major issue of the project will likely be the increasing gap between young people of different ethnicities which may jeopardize efforts for a lasting peace in Sri Lanka in the future. The final project design, is expected to be decided upon in late 2007. Please check back at that time to learn more about the JCCP’s activities in Sri Lanka.