Integrated Programme for Empowering Conflict-Affected Communities

The project is a joint venture by the Government of Japan and the United Nations Secretariat. In Sri Lanka, the UNTFHS will be supporting the three year Integrated Programme for Empowering conflict affected Communities to rebuild their lives in North and East Sri Lanka (ECAC) jointly through UNDP, UNICEF and ILO. This joint effort focuses on Vavuniya and Batticaloa and will ensure that synergies and complementarities between the three agencies are realized to increase the impact in target communities. The interventions of UNDP, UNICEF and ILO will together ensure that women and children are empowered to access livelihood opportunities. For example, while UNICEF will ensure provision of necessary psycho social support for children formerly associated with armed groups, they at the same time will assess the child’s needs and depending on age and preference and will refer them either to ILO for enrollment in a skills training course, which will have been specifically tailored to address some of the particular challenges facing former combatants, or to the national education system. If they opt for schooling, it will be critical that they are able to benefit from the documentation services supported by UNDP since a birth certificate is a necessary requirement for enrolling in national exams. Similarly, if they opt for vocational training, ILO will work with UNDP to ensure that on completion of the training course the participant has all the necessary legal papers required to open a bank account, or enroll in legitimate formal sector employment. Under the ECAC the ILO’s component will focus on providing business start-up and continuity support through the provision of seed capital, support for credit/savings groups and providing vulnerable children, (particularly girls) with access to all forms of skills training. It will also create opportunities for womens’ economic empowerment as a positive way of responding to the urgent needs of these target groups in conflict-affected locations. The project will support the National Action Plan for Decent Work endorsed in August 2006 where development of a systematic programme for re building the North and East has been identified with specific focus on retraining and re-orientation of ex combatants on both sides of the conflict in order to achieve economic development and sustainable peace. It will be the key entry point to ensure an integrated inclusive approach to mainstream the vulnerable populations of the Eastern and Northern Provinces into livelihood recovery initiatives and thereby ensure the elimination of child labour, hazardous work amongst young men and young women and provide decent work for men and women.

Project symbol

SRL/10/03/HSF

Admin unit

CO-Colombo

Start date

10/10/2010

End date

30/09/2014

Total allocation

967793

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

967793

Development Partners

United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security

Country/Countries

Sri Lanka

Outcomes

Skills Development