Download File - United Nations in Sri Lanka

02. CONTEXTIn mid-2006 military offensives initiated in theEastern Province displaced more than 60,000families who had been living in areas controlledby the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).The Government of Sri Lanka with support fromthe International Community supported theIDPs in temporary camps and welfare centersas well as those living with host families.By the first quarter of 2007 the entire EasternProvince was brought under the full controlof the Government and a return process wasinitiated. By November / December 2009, anestimated 123,907 persons (36,123 families)had been resettled within Batticaloa District,96, 848 persons (27, 687 families) had beenresettled within Trincomalee District and4,223 persons (1,148 families) within AmparaDistrict.The Government launched two majorprogrammes to accelerate recovery anddevelopment in the Province. The first of thesewas a 6 month (July 2007 to January 2008)plan for Restoration of Civil Administrationand Service Delivery System in the EasternProvince, and was coordinated by the Ministryof Public Administration and Home Affairs.This was complemented by the USD 1.8bndevelopment plan known as the EasternReawakening Plan, which was coordinated bythe Ministry of Nation Building and focusedon development interventions. In addition theGovernment restored the political authorityand structures of governance, with localgovernment (Batticaloa District) and provincialcouncil elections held in March and May 2008respectively.The response to the government plans has beensubstantive (Appendix I) and the collectiveendeavours of government and partners(multilateral, bilateral and non-governmental)has visibly led to improvements in the lives andlivelihoods of returnee communities.Notwithstanding these significantachievements, there remain early recoverychallenges. For example in some divisionsUNICEF and OXFAM GB continue water truckingas a humanitarian intervention, WFP continuesto extend its initial six-month complementaryfood assistance, and UNHCR and other agenciesprovide transitional shelters for families whoare yet to benefit from permanent housingschemes.This document is designed to set out theoutstanding activities that need to becompleted in 8 of the resettled divisions as theircommunities move to sustained livelihoodsand economic growth. The plan focuses on theDS Divisions in Batticaloa and Trincomaleethat are host to the majority of those resettled.Koralaipattu North (Vaharai) DS division isnot included due to the number of activitiesalready undertaken in these divisions.The document is written at a time when thereis a significant opportunity for sustainedrecovery and growth, an opportunity providedby the end of Sri Lanka’s nearly 3-decade civilwar, and the national momentum to bringthe North and East at par with the rest of thecountry in terms of economic, political, andsocial development.4