Leading ‘16’ for Sri Lanka
By: Impact Voices - The Social Innovation Intermediary
Tags: Tolerance, 16, Sdg, Sri Lanka, Peace

Photo Credits: D.D. Gamage

The best part of growing up in a country like Sri Lanka is that there is always dialogue about how to develop and progress as a country.

The worst part of growing up in a country like Sri Lanka is that the dialogue about how to progress and develop as a country has always been there in the same way with very little action. These continuous dialogues have not brought about the impact to the extend the country needed nor have they evolved with time as much as they should have. We have not hold these dialogues accountable and ensured these reflect in our actions.

Today is an important day in Sri Lanka and the World. Sri Lanka stands to choose its next head of state and the world celebrates the ‘International Day of Tolerance’. Elections is a core element of a vibrant democracy and Sri Lanka has stood strong despite many challenges as a democracy by the people to date. The importance of the individual right to choose also adds up to the need for tolerance. Both of these should be embodied as part of our core discourse.

“Tolerance is necessary between individuals and at the family and community levels. Tolerance promotion and the shaping of attitudes of openness, mutual listening and solidarity should take place in schools and universities and through non-formal education, at home and in the workplace. The communication media are in a position to play a constructive role in facilitating free and open dialogue and discussion, disseminating the values of tolerance, and highlighting the dangers of indifference towards the rise in intolerant groups and ideologies.” Declaration of Principles on Tolerance

UNESCO, 16 Nov 1995

Photo Credits: D.D. Gamage

It’s the best because there is a continuous ongoing discourse and that there is optimism about positive transformation in Sri Lanka. It’s the worst because this discourse has been active forever since independence 71 years ago, but we have not successfully found the right formula to progress. The good thing is we know there is something wrong and a lot has been experimented in search of growth. The downside is that we are still not certain whether the diagnosis is wrong or whether the prescription is wrong.

A look back at Sri Lanka’s journey since independence in 1948 and may be a slightly earlier, very clearly outlines that the issues are extremely complex and complicated. It also tells us that there is no one size fits all solution for the country. Also, it explicitly shows that Sri Lanka has had an increasingly growing challenge in communal unrest and weakening of institutions. Starting from the introduction of franchise rights in 1931, disenfranchisement of the Indian Tamil plantation workers in 1949, the infamous 1956 official language act replacing English with Sinhala as the official language in Ceylon without any reflection on the Tamil language followed by the Bandaraniake — Chelvanayagam Pact and the drama surrounding it, rise of armed separatist militant forces in the North in the 1970s, the 1971 and the 1988–89 socialist uprising led by the JVP, the Eelam Wars starting from 1983 going up till 2009 resulting in decades of blood shed and chaos, the countless mediations and the ceasefire in 2002, the tsunami in 2004, the constitutional crisis in 2018, the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019 to continuous international warnings on human right violations, mistrust for public office and ongoing social unrest points directly at the communal unrest and the weakening of the institutions in the country.

As we try to unwrap the problem in search of a solution it is also important have a global outlook to see that things are not very different around the world specially in the region of South and South East Asia. The global outlook also gives us a framework to work with. This framework with a broader outlook is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) out of which the goal 16 specifically focuses on the issues we identified.

Why we should Lead 16?

“Weak governance and institutional mechanisms continue to undermine Sri Lanka’s long-term growth potential. Weakness in the rule of law, corruption and lack of democratic freedom, amongst others have continued to negatively impact the country’s standing in global indices on governance standards.” Voluntary National Review on the Status of implementing Sustainable Development Goals by the Government of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, June 2018.

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions are the core foundations of SDG 16 and it strives to achieve 12 targets focused broadly on reducing all forms of violence, promoting rule of law, ending corruption, enabling participatory decision making, accountability and transparency and strengthening national and international institutions.

Since August 2016, Sri Lanka has been structuring its peacebuilding activities under the Peacebuilding Priority Plan which focuses on 4 key pillars of Transitional Justice, Reconciliation, Good governance and Resettlement and Durable Solutions. The plan was laid out for a period of 3 years with the expectation of a holistic, comprehensive approach, national ownership and coordinated efforts towards building peace in the country. A look back at the country’s achievements in SDGs, the above quoted ‘National Review on the Status of implementing Sustainable Development Goals by the Government of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka’ provides a few gaps and challenges the country faced by Mid-2018. These included occurrence of aggression mainly in the Northern and Eastern provinces, gaps in implementation and monitoring partly due to lack of strong institutions, weakness in governance and institutions resulting in policy unpredictability, weak public service delivery and administrative red tape. It also highlights the gap in data and information as many related to Goal 16 are hidden and unreported.

The report clearly emphasizes on the need for increase investments to improve rural income and employment opportunities in marginalized communities to sustain peace and harmony, incorporation of democratization with development dimensions to ensure lasting peace and justice and enabling local communities to become stakeholders in the local governance and development process.

In addition, the Easter Sunday attacks and the post Easter situation in the country calls out the country to relook at its focus on Peace, Justice and Strong institutions. The countering and prevention of violent extremism is a key area of focus and rebuilding social cohesion is top priority for Sri Lanka.

Photo Credits: D.D. Gamage

Sri Lanka has suffered for decades. The people of this country has suffered for generations. We are a nation optimistically looking forward for positive transformation towards a sustainable world. We believe the priority for Sri Lanka is in strengthening its institutions and revitalizing social cohesion among all communities. Sri Lanka’s priority is in strengthening institutions which will be more transparent and more accountable for the people and ensuring peace and social cohesion in the country. These institutions in a peaceful society will be the foundation towards a sustainable nation. We stand for the people of this country and to ensure strong institutions and lasting peace.

It is time that all of us as Sri Lankans work towards this goal. Each one of us can start in our own individual capacity and it will have a lasting ripple effect.

Will you join us in our journey for a better, peaceful and sustainable Sri Lanka?