Every time I have the privilege of serving as an international pro-bono local government expert for ICMA, it is an incredibly rewarding experience in human spirit and generosity, and growth of awareness of the wonders of different cultures and societies. Working in the northern region of Sri Lanka in May 2014 was an especially rewarding experience based upon the reception and appreciation of the local government and chamber of commerce officials that we worked with on a local economic development (LED) partnership and action plan.

Like many countries where ICMA members are called upon to provide expertise, Sri Lankan municipalities are greatly interested in improvement as a result of experiencing difficult political and economic times. The island nation endured a nearly thirty year internal conflict that hampered economic, cultural, and political progress, with the conflict officially ending in 2009. Since that time the Sinhala and Tamil communities have been working to improve both their own communities and the country as a whole.

When we arrived in the city of Jaffna in the northern region we immediately met a coalition of local government officials and chamber of commerce representatives working to draft much needed by-laws (municipal ordinances) to begin to regulate and encourage business activities. Following that we worked with an enthusiastic group from two local governments (Valikamam West and Karachchi) and their local chambers of commerce to work through roles and responsibilities and a short term action plan for a grass roots LED program that can grow with their capacity and expertise.

Within two short days (except it did not seem as short when the air conditioning decided not to work), we crafted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) type agreement that would not get bogged down in local politics or problems with “turf” and also an abbreviated short term strategic planning process and set of near term action steps.

There is nothing more gratifying than to experience even a minor transformation in thinking by a group of new friends committed to local government, and to feel their enthusiasm for continuing improvement. Sri Lanka in 2014 is an experience that will guide my work with new friends and cultures for years to come.

The Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities (FSLGA), an ICMA international affiliate, has been following up with each of the local governments on completing their economic development work plans, using the products from the training as foundation for discussions.