KAMALIKA PIERIS

Throughout the thirty year period of the Eelam war, the aid coming into the country was exclusively for the north and east. This was well known.  Once the war ended, the north became the favored community with the blessings of the government.  Foreign countries offered assistance. These offers accelerated during the Yahapalana period 2015-2018.

India led in foreign assistance. By   2017, India had had completed 25 projects for Northern Province with 11 ongoing. This could be contrasted with its assistance to the south during the same period, 4 completed projects and 5 ongoing.

India has completed the construction of   40700 houses out of the 50,000 promised by 2015.

In 2016 Sri Lanka and India signed MOU to supply 150 boats and fishing equipment to fishermen of Mullaitivu. An Indian steel manufacture and fish net manufacturing company   started a factory in Jaffna.  In 2017 India granted Sri Lanka a credit line of US$ 45.27 million for rehabilitation of the Kankesanturai Port.  India also agreed to develop roads in Jaffna

India provided a generous grant of Rs 1.7 billion to construct a cultural centre in Jaffna district. It will be located adjoin the Jaffna public library. To help them reconnect with their cultural roots, and nurture the ancient cultural heritage of Jaffna.  There is also an Indian funded English language lab in Jaffna.

There were offers of Indian investment at the first Northern Province investment forum held in 2016. An Indian steel manufacture and fish net manufacturing company   had by then started a factory in Jaffna  

Other foreign countries also offered assistance to the north. They were mainly countries connected to USA.

Norway extended support for resettlement in the newly released Myliddy harbor area in Jaffna with support amounting to Rs 150 million. Norway and UNDP signed an Agreement to restore Myliddy Pier so that 550 fisher families   would benefit. Norway had also given through UNDP Rs. 290 million to the newly resettled community in the Valalai and Thellipalai areas in Jaffna District to start their livelihoods.

Since 2009, Australia has provided more than AUD250 million to support the reconstruction of conflict-affected communities in the North and East. Australian support has included housing and local infrastructure construction, de-mining, education, and a wide range of economic and business activities. Australia – World Bank ‘North East Local Services Improvement Programme’ had helped resettled families in Valikamam North .

The German embassy funded a project to construct 10 wells in the Chettilukam division of Vavuniya. German development corporation GIZ  started  the Sri Lanka German training institute at Kilinochchi. This is part of the vocational training in the north and east project. It is co funded by government of Switzerland. It will function under NAITA.

.Jointly implemented by five agencies of the United Nations namely UNDP, UNICEF, UNOPS, FAO and ILO, and IFC from the World Bank Group, the EU-SDDP is a European Union-funded development cooperation programme with a total financial grant support of EUR 60 million. Its objective is to contribute to poverty reduction and livelihood development in seven districts in the North and East to bridge the socio-economic gap with the rest of the country. The programme supports the conflict-affected districts of Batticaloa, Mannar, Vavuniya, Ampara, Monaragala, Anuradhapura and Puttalam impacting half a million people.

The Women’s and Children’s Desk (WCD) at Kanagarayankulam Police Station, Vavuniya was jointly inaugurated  IN 2017 by the Ambassador of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Tung-Laï Margue, the United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) Una McCauley and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative, Tim Sutton.

Also during their visit, in Nelumkulum, Vavuniya District, Ambassador Margue and UNRC McCauley handed over equipment to the Technical College of the Department of Technical Education and Training. Construction is a high growth sector in Vavuniya .The lack of up-to-date equipment for construction-related training led to funding assistance being granted through EU-SDDP, at the request of the Department of Technical Education and Training and the District Secretariat. The ILO is the implementing partner for this initiative. Approximately 300 people have already benefitted from this project, .while 250 people are expected to benefit annually.

The EU-SDDP is also providing support to the Vavuniya General Hospital through an UNOPS-implemented sewerage and waste water treatment facility, which was officially handed over by the visiting delegates including Ambassador Margue, UNRC McCauley and Director and Representative United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Francoise Jacob.

.Ambassador Margue and UNRC McCauley also attended an opening ceremony of the Local Economic Development Centre and Economic Advisory Service unit at Venkalachedikulam. This too has been funded through EU-SDDP and implemented by UNDP.

In 2017  and EU-funded housing project commenced in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Batticaloa.  2,455 families would benefit from this  Euro 14 million multi-faceted housing project, financed by the European Union  and implemented by Habitat for Humanity and World Vision Lanka. The project, which bridges the gap between relief, rehabilitation and development, aims to build 2,315 houses and repair 140 homes in 31 divisions across Batticaloa, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu by early 2020.

Ford Motor Company USA, represented in Sri Lanka by Future automobiles a subsidiary of soft logic holding was given a contract to Japanese NGO JEN   to carry out an agriculture livelihood project in Kilinochchi.

World Bank  has provided much assistance to North.  In 2015, it granted USD 20 million for improvement of local services in North and east. Rural small bridges, parks, small water schemes, rural electrification, waste dispels, drainage. in 2016 the  International Finance Corporation  of the World Bank has rolled out a programme to promote small business in Mannar and Vavuniya districts. This project is also funded by EU and implemented by five UN agencies and IFC.

In 2016 UN office for Project services and ILO started  to work with NAITA to increase skilled labor force in construction sector of Batticaloa, Mannar and Vavuniya. ( Continued)