New Projects
Policy Dialogues on Development Democracy
and Peace in the Eastern Province
The changes that have taken place in the Eastern Province with the Provincial Council Elections and the restoration of civilian administration have created the political space and the opportunity for the people of the Eastern province to participate more actively in the governance of the Province. This would call for greater civic involvement in accelerating development, strengthening the democratic processes, and ensuring the safety and the human security of the civilian population. The exercise of the vote and election of representatives is only one part of the democratic process. For democracy to be effective there has to be sustained and constructive interaction between the people and those who hold power, make policies and take the key decisions that affect people’s lives. A healthy democracy always provides the means for dialogue and interaction of this nature enabling citizens to participate in the processes of governance, monitor and evaluate the developments and changes that are taking place and ensure the accountability of those who hold power.
These processes are specially needed in the Eastern Province in its present state of transition from violent conflict to democracy and peace.
- The new political actors who have gained positions of power after a life of military combat have shown an eagerness to acquire the capabilities for good governance and democratic leadership. To do so, they should enjoy the constructive co-operation and support of the people.
- Good governance development and peace requires a sound and healthy partnership between the elected representatives, the public service and the citizens.
Citizens need to be fully informed of the development activities at the divisional, district and provincial levels to enable them to articulate their needs, point to deficiencies and contribute to both policy and implementation.
- The political parties need to work together to consolidate the gains in peace and security so far made and develop inter party relations that promote conditions for consensus- building and peaceful co-existence.
- Confidence in the maintenance of the rule of law and protection of human rights has to be enhanced and strengthened.
All these point to the need to set in motion a process of dialogue which is also a mutual learning process for all the key stakeholders- the politicians, the public servants, the business community and the citizens.
The project that is being undertaken by the Marga Institute with support from the Asia Foundation is designed to meet this urgent need. It will be implemented in two phases over a period of approximately six months. In the first phase, the Marga Institute, in collaboration with civil society organisations active in the Eastern province and other groups of concerned citizens will organise 4 Policy Dialogues. One policy dialogue will be conducted in each of the three Districts followed by a Provincial dialogue. In the second phase another round of four similar dialogues will be held to review the issues dealt with in the first round and progress made.
Objectives
The main objectives of the dialogues would be to
- Provide opportunities for the key stakeholders in the Province to engage in a constructive dialogue on the current developments in the Eastern Province and contribute to the process of restoring and strengthening the democratic processes , accelerating development and addressing problems of civilian security, law and order;
- strengthen civil society , develop an informed vigilant and active citizenry and provide opportunities that promote a sustained and effective process of civic engagement in public policy in the province
- create the public discourse which will lead to greater transparency and accountability of government
- enhance knowledge and awareness of the principles and practices of good governance and democratic politics among all stakeholders
- And create an environment for consensual politics and harmonious co-existence of the three ethnic communities in the Province.
The key stakeholders participating in the dialogues would include (a) representatives of civil society organisations and concerned citizens from among retired public servants academics of the two Universities and other professionals (b) religious leaders (c) senior officials (d) representatives of political parties and (e) and the business community. The participants will include a panel of civil society activists and leaders at the national level who will act as facilitators at the dialogues. The participation of the panel is designed to promote civic support and solidarity for the initiatives taken by civil society in the Eastern Province.
The dialogues will focus on three sets of issues.
(a) The first set of issues will deal with development in the District, present and future. It will examine and focus on the critical development problems of the District, assess the main development programmes that are being implemented in the District and the progress made, and identifies the potential and priorities for future development of the District. Annexe 1 lists some of the issues that could be considered under this head.
(b)The second set of issues will deal with democratic practices and good governance and discuss the norms that should guide the conduct of politics and the systems needed for improving transparency and accountability of government.
(c)The third session will focus on problems of civilian security law and order and examine how existing arrangements and procedures could be improved and strengthened with closer citizen participation and consultation.
A comprehensive background paper with the latest information and statistics as well as an overview of the critical issues that need to be discussed would be made available to participants. Annexes 1-3 lists some of the problems and questions that could be addressed by the participants at the meeting. These lists could be expanded and modified by participants in accordance with the priorities identified by them.
Each dialogue will be conducted in two sessions in the morning and afternoon from 9.30 to 4.00 P.M. with a lunch break of 45 minutes. The meeting will open with a plenary session which will have brief presentations on each of the three sets of issues. The meeting will thereafter break into three working groups one for each set of issues. After they finish their deliberations they will convene in a plenary session to present their conclusions and recommendations and decide on how the project could be taken forward.
A co-ordinator has been appointed for each district to undertake the preparatory work and organise the District Dialogue. The co-ordinator will make contact with representatives from the five stakeholder groups and undertake the work in preparation for the dialogues. At the final provincial dialogue that will follow the district dialogues, the representatives from the District dialogues will review the outcomes of the District dialogues and chart out the future course of action.
The dialogues are expected to result in a second phase in which similar dialogues will be organised to review progress on the issues discussed in the first phase. The second phase will be implemented after a lapse of about six months. The Marga institute will maintain contact with the civil society groups that participated in the dialogues and encourage and assist them to monitor the issues in the intervening period.
The project envisages the formation of concerned citizen groups who will be able to sustain this activity. The project is designed with the long term objective of generating and institutionalising arrangements that will sustain the process of civic engagement thereby enhancing the quality of development and governance in the Eastern Province. The Institute plans to continue its involvement in follow up activities to ensure that these objectives are achieved.
Development amidst Conflict and Disaster
Capacity building of households for sustainable human development and Peace
A Marga /FLICT Project for capacity building of selected NGOs in holistic development is being carried out in four GN Divisions (affected by both the conflict and Tsunami):
Majeed puram,
Periyaneelavanai,
Karativu 1,
Addalachchennai 17.
Capacity building is in the form of Learning through Action. For this purpose a team comprising district coordinators, supervisors and a group of community workers has been selected from the locations. The 2 partner organizations working in the district are MWRAF and SLCDF.
Training is carried out through exercises in,
(a) Data collection and situation analysis of households,
(b) Preparation and implementation of household development plans and,
(c) Activities for promoting inter-ethnic and inter religious harmony.
"Posters for Peace"
Close to one hundred school children and young people gathered at the Carmel Fathima National College in Kalmunai to create posters of a different kind.
This poster competition saw the participation of students from 8 schools belonging to the GN Divisions of Majeed puram, Periyaneelavanai, Karativu 1 and Addalachchennai 17 along with a few Youth Club members in the four locations.
Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim children all worked together, each giving their own interpretation to the theme ‘Development through Peace…Moving forward together’.
An exhibition and award ceremony followed at which judging took place under four age categories.
Networking for Development
Parallel to this event, a workshop was held in Seminar Room of the Super Star Hotel- Kalmunai, with regard to the house hold planning and community development component of the project.
This programme which saw the participation of 37 Govt., Pvt Sector and NGO service providers, focused on linking house holds in the 4 project areas to the relevant development programmes through their officials, thereby facilitating targeted intervention.
Building Capacity at Household Level for Human Development...