Social Dialogue for Peace and Crisis Prevention in Sri Lanka

The project enhances the voice, access, and equitable and inclusive participation of Sri Lanka’s social partners and local communities, through inclusive social dialogue at national, sectoral, workplace and local levels in shaping and implementing economic and social recovery efforts, thereby strengthening peace and cohesion. This is achieved through establishing more inclusive dialogue and dispute prevention and resolution mechanisms for the public sector and enhancing the effectiveness and inclusivity of existing dialogue and dispute prevention mechanisms for the private sector. Policy and decision-making dialogue and recovery initiatives at the national level informed by engagement with the most marginalized communities, including those in the informal economy, women, and young people with intersectional vulnerabilities, on their economic and social priorities. Existing networks at the community level capacitated to contribute to and participate in dialogue and policy-making mechanisms at local and national levels. The project builds institutional capacities for structured, gender-responsive, inclusive, and constructive dialogue and dispute resolution. It emphasizes the engagement of women, youth, and informal economy workers with district and national-level policy-making processes and structures to address the concerns of marginalized communities and facilitate inclusive, gender-responsive dispute prevention and resolution. Key Components: Public Sector Dialogue and Dispute Resolution: Establish a National Public Sector Dialogue Forum to mediate/arbitrate conflicts at the national level, and to promote collective bargaining; Create sectoral forums in priority public service sectors (e.g., transport, health, education) as a basis for collective bargaining, and to resolve disputes referred by workplace forums, and Expand workplace forums in the public sector to support labour peace and address workplace-level conflicts) Private Sector Dialogue and Dispute Resolution: (Enhance the effectiveness of the National Labour Advisory Council. (NLAC, Support the establishment and strengthening of dialogue and dispute prevention mechanisms at the workplace level, and Support the development of sectoral growth strategies for job creation and economic recovery) Engagement of Women, Youth, and Informal Economy Workers: Enhance engagement with policy-making structures to address concerns of marginalized communities (Facilitate inclusive, gender-responsive peaceful dispute resolution). The project is supported via the UN, Sri Lanka SDG Fund by the United Nations Peace Building Fund (UNPBF), and jointly implemented by ILO, UNFPA and UNESCO.

Project symbol

LKA/24/50/UND

Admin unit

CO-Colombo

Start date

13/06/2024

End date

19/05/2026

Total allocation

1150000

Total expenditure

Status

Active

632224

Development Partners

Multi Partner Trust Fund Office, UNDP

Country/Countries

Sri Lanka

Outcomes

Outcome 2: Strong, representative and influential tripartite constituents and effective social dialogue