Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights develops a National Framework Proposal on the Reintegration of Ex-combatants
MEDIA RELEASE
Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights develops a
National Framework Proposal on the Reintegration of Ex-combatants
Following a series of intensive and wide-ranging discussions with diverse stakeholders, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights has developed a National Framework Proposal to reintegrate ex-combatants into civilian life. ‘The National Framework Proposal on the Reintegration of Ex-combatants into Civilian Life in Sri Lanka' will be presented tomorrow (30th July) for validation at a workshop convened by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights.
The National Framework Proposal is primarily designed to achieve the following goals: to safeguard the human rights of ex-combatants including the responsibility to protect and assist them in accordance with the Constitution of Sri Lanka and the Government's international obligations; to contribute towards sustainable peace, reconciliation and social cohesion; and to increase the employability of ex-combatants, minimise their risk of socio-economic marginalisation and create opportunities for economic revitalisation in post-war Sri Lanka.
A reintegration programme for ex-combatants was mooted as early as April 2006 in the Road Map for Disaster Risk Management and Human Rights prepared by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights and the Ministry of Finance and Planning. The official National Framework Development Process commenced in October 2008 under the guidance of a High-Level Steering Committee chaired by Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe, M.P., Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights. It is the culmination of several fruitful rounds of deliberations of working groups on disarmament and demobilisation, rehabilitation, reinsertion, social reintegration, and economic reintegration which developed the respective components of the National Framework. The Attorney-General, Hon Mohan Peiris PC and former Commissioner General for Rehabilitation (CGR), Mr Suhada Gamlath also assisted in the development of the Framework Proposal. The initiative is supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
These working groups comprised of senior government officials, policymakers, members of the armed forces, locally-based advisors to UN agencies and other relevant stakeholders. Working group meetings were held over the months of April, May, and June, and each group prepared an issues paper based on the discussions that transpired. These papers were collated and compiled into the draft Framework Proposal, which was completed on 25 July 2009 and circulated among the key stakeholders to the reintegration process. The Working Groups were chaired by Secretaries to the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs and National Integration Mrs M. Wickremasinghe, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha and the Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Mr Sunil Sirisena. In addition consultations were held on disarmament and demobilization with the Consultant for National Intelligence, Ministry of Defence, Public Security and Law and Order, Maj. Gen. Kapila Hendawitharana and on rehabilitation with the Bureau of the CGR.
The working groups were subsequent to a sensitisation workshop which was organised by the Ministry on 26 and 27 March 2009. The workshop was facilitated by Mr. José Manuel Pinotes, a Senior ILO Consultant with extensive international experience in Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration. While ex-combatants of the LTTE are the focal point in this Framework, other armed groups operating in the North and the East are also included in order to make the proposed reintegration process as comprehensive as possible.
As part of the Framework Development Process, a meeting was arranged by the Ministry on 15 May 2009 for members of the working groups to meet leaders and representatives of Tamil political groups and a sample of ex-militants, to obtain their input for the framework development process. The aim of this forum was to make the process inclusive, meaningful, and responsive to the actual needs to the target group of beneficiaries. This event afforded a platform for the working groups to clarify certain outstanding issues such as the eligibility criteria for ex-combatants and the key guiding principles.
"The successful completion of the National Framework Proposal on the Reintegration of Ex-combatants is testimony to the Government's commitment to promoting reconciliation and development in an equitable manner. The crucial next step is to implement the proposed reintegration framework without delay so that peace in Sri Lanka will be sustainable," stated Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe, M.P., Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights.
"The Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights is mandated to formulate and implement policies, programmes and projects for disaster mitigation, response and recovery; and also to initiate and coordinate foreign aided projects for disaster mitigation, response and recovery. "Disaster" is defined in the Sri Lanka Disaster Management Act No 13 of 2005, as "the actual or imminent occurrence of a natural or man-made event, which endangers or threatens to endanger the safety or health of any person or group of persons in Sri Lanka, or which destroys or damages or threatens to destroy or damage any property, and includes" an incidence of "civil or internal strife". As the existence of ex-combatants is directly referable to the conflict in Sri Lanka - an obvious example of a man-made disaster - which recently culminated in the successful humanitarian operations carried out by the military, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights has a direct responsibility to formulate policies and work with other Government focal points that enjoy a mandate to implement programmes to reintegrate ex-combatants," Hon. Minister Samarasinghe explained.
The National Framework Proposal for Ex-combatants is expected to be used as a Road Map by the different Government focal points charged with the mandate of implementing the different facets of a comprehensive reintegration strategy. The Proposal will also be embodied as part of the National Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights being prepared by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights as a consequence of the Universal Periodic Review process in Geneva.
