by Asia Foundation, January 30, 2006
On January 30, 2006, five sponsoring agencies — The World Bank, The Asia Foundation, and the Governments of the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom — launched a study in Colombo, Sri Lanka, titled, The Strategic Conflict Assessment – Aid, Conflict, and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka, to guide the international community to better support the Sri Lankan people’s bid for peace after more than 22 years of conflict.
The study, researched and written by a team of prominent independent academics and consultants, covers the structures and dynamics of conflict and peace in Sri Lanka since 2000, and builds on an earlier “strategic conflict assessment” sponsored by the U.K. Department for International Development. It examines the actions of foreign governments and international aid agencies (diplomats and donors) thus far, and identifies how their strategies and approaches can best help strengthen peacebuilding efforts. Below are the key findings.