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DFID Sri Lanka
British High Commission, 190 Galle Road, Kollupitiya, PO Box 1433, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka
Tel:+94 11 243 7336/43| Fax:+94 11 243 0308
Email: SriLanka@DFID.gov.uk
Map courtesy of the FCO
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Sri Lanka
Country Facts
- Population: 19,615,300
- Poverty (No. of people living below $1 a day): 1,294,610 (6.6%)
- $2 a day figure: 8,905,342 (45.4%)
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita: $3,570
- Life expectancy: 72.5 years
- Literacy rates: 92.1%
- Malnutrition: 25%
Source: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report
2004
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What DFID is doing to help reach each Millennium Development Goal (MDG)
Poverty and Hunger
Poverty reduction in Sri Lanka is dependent on ending the 20 year civil war
and sustaining peace. DFID's short and medium term strategy is set out in Her
Majesty's Government (HMG) Peace-building and Reconciliation Strategy, approved
by the Secretary of State in January 2002.
This shared Strategy brings together DFID, the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (FCO) and Ministry of Defence (MoD) objectives, and pools DFID bilateral
funds and Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) funds.
The strategy commits HMG to work in seven areas:
- encouraging key donors to adopt conflict sensitive approaches
- reducing communal tensions by promoting adherence to Human Rights
Standards
- supporting greater preparedness for peace negotiations, recovery and
reconstruction
- strengthening civil society to more effectively influence and contribute
to reconciliation
- helping to make national and state institutions more accountable and
enabled to support peace process
- supporting the development of education policies and practice that
contribute to social harmony; and
- improving the livelihoods and security of those affected by conflict.
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Country level examples:
- DFID has taken the lead in responding to a joint Government/United
Nations (UN) appeal for support to returning Internally Displaced People (IDPs)
and has contributed £2.6m towards de-mining activities in Sri Lanka
- A £6.25m contribution to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Children Affected by Armed Conflict Programme
- £1.96m is being provided to Civil Society organisations to promote
conflict transformation, in a programme co-financed by Germany, Denmark
and Australia
- £3.5m is being provided to Oxfam to reduce the number of Sri Lankans
suffering as a result of the conflict and a further £3.3m to Save the
Children (Sri Lanka) to increase respect and realisation of child rights.
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Support for Tsunami Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Immediately following the tsunami DFID provided some £7m of direct
assistance to Sri Lanka through organisations such as the United Nations, the
Red Cross, Oxfam and Save the Children Fund. In addition DFID financed a number
of relief activities across the region, at a cost of over £26m.
Whilst it is difficult to attribute precisely Sri Lanka's share of this
funding, we would estimate that approximately one third, or £8.7m, went to the
island. We are also providing some £41m over the next ten years to meet the
cost of Sri Lanka's debt to the World Bank International Development
Association, which will allow the Government to redirect a similar sum from
their own resources to tsunami recovery and poverty reduction.
Much has been achieved and assistance is reaching most victims of the
tsunami. However there are problems, which the Government, with donors help,
needs to address.
In particular, with so many independent non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
active across Sri Lanka there are wide differences between districts in the
standards and quality of relief work. This is particularly apparent in housing
and shelter programmes.
Furthermore the immense size of the reconstruction task is stretching the
capacity of central and local government to manage and coordinate assistance.
Inevitably this contributes to bureaucratic delays in the delivery of services,
and in the clearance and distribution of relief supplies and materials.
Assistance is reaching some communities more quickly than others. There is
frustration that more cannot be done faster.
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Government and donors, including DFID, are working to make the administration
as efficient as possible and to remove any bureaucratic hurdles that constrain
NGO activities. With this in mind DFID has recently approved £1.5m for the
North East Provincial Council (NEPC), to increase their capacity to deliver
services to affected communities. NEPC is responsible for some 70% of the area
damaged by the tsunamis.
Despite these difficulties the achievements to date have been substantial.
The tsunamis destroyed 78,000 homes and made some 500,000 people homeless. In
the immediate aftermath, tents were supplied to provide emergency shelter for
these people.
Securing land, and constructing safe, permanent, housing is a long process,
so the second priority was to provide transitional housing, more sturdy than
tents, whilst permanent accommodation was constructed.
Over 46,000 transitional homes have now been built and the United Nations
advise that all displaced households which were living in tents should be able
to move to transitional shelters. Some people have however proved reluctant to
move from their tents, in case that would affect their access to assistance.
The Government has also signed agreements with donors and NGOs to build
97,000 new, permanent homes and work on over 23,000 of these has started. Rapid
progress will be difficult because the availability of land is a major
constraint in several districts.
To prevent damage from future tsunamis the Government has enforced existing
laws that forbid reconstruction or new construction within a Buffer Zone
stretching 100 metres from the coast (200 metres in the north and east). Many
people previously lived within this Zone, and many schools and medical
facilities were also situated there.
It is proving difficult to secure alternative land where families can be
relocated, and where schools and clinic facilities can be rebuilt. As a result
some people may have to remain in temporary accommodation longer than we all
would wish.
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DFID and other donors continue to encourage the Government to be flexible and
pragmatic in the application of the Buffer Zone regulation. In response the
Government has commissioned an enquiry into the Buffer Zone and has indicated
that it may consider flexible implementation where appropriate.
There has also been good progress in other areas. Of 182 schools damaged or
destroyed, contracts have been signed to reconstruct 176, and work has started.
Funds to rebuild the remaining schools have been secured. Some 90% of affected
children are back in school.
Financing has also been secured to reconstruct and rehabilitate all damaged
hospital and health facilities, and work is underway. Roads, railways and
electricity services (where they existed) have been restored, although only on a
temporary basis in some instances.
The fishing industry, the livelihood of many of the affected people, is being
recapitalised and all damaged and destroyed boats are being replaced. Of the
15,300 boats reported as destroyed or damaged over 5,800 have been repaired and
donors have pledged to provide 13,000 new boats, of which 4,200 have been
supplied. The Government expects the industry to have recovered by the end of
the year. Finance is also being made available to restore other locally owned
businesses.
We are working with Government and other donors to make sure that the
challenges identified above are addressed. We are calling for an independent,
comprehensive and credible review of recovery activities to date, which will
identify any districts that have not received adequate assistance, or where
standards of provision have been unsatisfactory. This would provide the basis
for a concerted programme of corrective action.
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Primary Education
DFID is working with the Government, World Bank, UNICEF and Sweden to develop
a National Education Sector Strategy. Our focus is maximising the contribution
education can make to social harmony and peacebuilding.
Gender, Child Mortality, Maternal Health, Diseases and Environmental
Sustainability:
Our work on conflict and the tsunami response (see above under Poverty and
Hunger) integrates gender and addresses some of the other MDGs as part of a
wider donor programme. We do not have specific programmes in pursuit of any
other MDGs except Education.
Useful links
Last updated: 20 February 2006
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