Starting in 1983, Sri Lanka's civil war devastated both the country’s economy and many of its citizens’ lives. A ceasefire in 2002 and the ensuing negotiations between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam appeared to promise an end to more than two decades of civil unrest, but conflict continued until 2009.
Facilitating Economic Growth
ICMA is a member of a team that was awarded funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to carry out a three-year program in Sri Lanka to stimulate economic growth in communities of the Eastern province by developing the capacity of the local governments to create an enabling environment for their private firms.
A major goal of the program is to create new jobs and attract investment in the region, and program activities are expected to include public-private partnership dialogues, targeted capacity building and training in project design, monitoring and implementation skills for effective management, basic service improvement projects, budgeting, and streamlining local registration processes.
The project team is composed of members of the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA). The team is headed by the International Executive Service Corps; other team members are ACDI/VOCA, Land O’Lakes, and the Financial Services Volunteer Corps, which will serve as a resource organization.
In the summer of 2010, ICMA carried out an assignment to assess current solid waste practices in the town of Trincomalee and make recommendations for improvement. The work was carried out by the Urban Management Centre, ICMA’s representative in South Asia, based in Ahmedabad, India.
Supporting Accountable Local Governance
Earlier, resolving the tensions of ethnic conflict and creating an atmosphere of lasting peace was identified as Sri Lanka’s main challenge to successful, sustainable development. The U.S. Agency for International Development awarded the Transparent Accountable Local Governance (TALG) program to the The Asia Foundation.
The Foundation, in turn, selected ICMA to help carry out its commitment to seeking, identifying, and supporting organizations and institutions in Sri Lanka that promote tolerance, transparency, and accountability, which it views as essential for lasting peace and prosperity.
Through the TALG program (March 2005-September 2007), ICMA supported Sri Lanka’s transition to a successful democratic society through inclusive and peaceful approaches to politics and governance.