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Although Sri Lanka has been a democratic country for 50 years, 20 years of civil war has eroded the quality of democracy experienced by citizens. Political parties are closed entities, alienating much of the population. Citizens at the grassroots level have little input into the process, local issues remain virtually ignored by politicians and parties themselves generally lack internal democracy.
As Sri Lankan civil society builds grassroots demand for political change, IRI’s trainings equip them with the necessary skills to improve advocacy and channel their members demand for reform. IRI also works with politically active youth with skills to carryout effective political advocacy and works with women to address the limitations on women’s political participation. IRI’s program began in 2006 with a focus in the Central Province in Kandy, Matale & Nuwara Eliya.
Youth Leadership Development
Youth in Sri Lanka are politically marginalized, often only participating as primary instigators of violence during elections. Working with a local youth network with more than 3,000 members, IRI’s program empowers youth by providing information and training on how to be politically and civically active in a democracy.
IRI is coordinating a two-year strategic plan with a local partner that will further empower the youth of Central Province to be positive change agents in their communities. Trainings will focus on the role of civil society in a democracy, advocacy, public communications and mentoring; enabling youth to build confidence and skills.
Women’s Participation
Sri Lanka elected the world’s first female Prime Minister, Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, in 1960, yet that spirit of women’s political involvement has failed to trickle down to the provincial and municipal level. Women are locked out of politics by entrenched power holders that view them as unnecessary to the political process. Furthermore, ballot access remains a challenge, as the most wealthy and well-connected candidates are usually given the most desirable spots on the ballots.
IRI’s program focuses on improving the ability of women to work together to create their own power bases by connecting civic, political and economic women leaders in the Central Province. Although the province is highly varied in its ethnic and geographic makeup, common threads tie the women’s groups together. Through these commonalities, IRI is working to build a network of informed and capable women who are able to raise awareness and bring about change in their communities. Trainings, on topics such as communication and advocacy, are bringing women who are interested in increasing their participation in local and national politics together.
In May 2007, IRI hosted the Women Defining Politics conference that brought together women from the Central Province to interact with their elected officials from all levels of government and discuss how to work together to increase women’s political participation. IRI’s work with these dynamic women will provide them the skills to help them become confident and capable political entrepreneurs.
Strengthening Civil Society
A multitude of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) exist in Sri Lanka. Many of these were created to respond to specific needs arising from the civil war and its aftermath. As a result, they are crisis-driven, single-issue entities that do not seek long-term solutions to the problems they address. There is also a lack of coordination among NGOs on issues of mutual concern or in addressing the root causes of problems. However, indigenous NGOs are entrenched in their communities, and capable of mobilizing grassroots populations to demand that political institutions address issues of citizen concern.
IRI is conducting a survey of Central Province-based NGOs to assess their skills and interests. IRI will also provide a series of capacity building trainings to help these individual organizations implement their programs and serve their communities more effectively as a network of advocates. Additionally, these NGOs will become better equipped to serves as pressure points to target political institutions to address their systematic problems and enact sustainable reforms.
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