Sri Lanka Programme Strategy 2014-2016 - ACTED Sri Lanka Programme Strategy 2014 – 2016 Page | 9 Sri Lanka is an island country of 65,610 sq. km located in the Indian Ocean off the

Sri Lanka Programme Strategy

2014-2016

ACTED Sri Lanka Programme Strategy 2014 – 2016 Page | 1

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Foreword – From the Office of the Country Director 4 1. 1. About ACTED 5 2. 2. Sri Lanka Country Profile 8 3. 3. ACTED in Sri Lanka 10

4. ACTED Sri Lanka Programme Strategy 2014-2016 12 Program Pillar 1: Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Growth 14

1.1. Situation Analysis 14

1.2. ACTED’s Programmatic Approach 15

1.3. Partnership Strategy 16

Program Pillar 2: Strengthening Civil Society and Effective Governance 17




Program Pillar 3: Responding to Emergencies and Building Disaster Resilience 21




Cross-Cutting Aspects 25

Table of Contents


On behalf of ACTED, I am pleased to share with you the ACTED Sri

Lanka Programme Strategy 2014-2016.

Sri Lanka is emerging from a long period of crisis. A protracted, almost

30 year, civil conflict ended in 2009. The conflict caused the

displacement and resettlement of hundreds of thousands of people. In

addition, Sri Lanka has faced several natural disasters, including the

Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004. ACTED’s presence in Sri Lanka began

by responding to this succession of emergencies in Eastern and

Northern provinces by providing support to the recovery efforts of

affected populations. With the end of the conflict and the rapidly

changing economic and political landscape, ACTED has developed

activities, methodologies and tools to address the evolving needs of

vulnerable communities. These tools empower people to restart their

livelihoods, improve food security, and re-establish an active civil

society in the Eastern and Northern provinces.

Fortunately, Sri Lanka has already begun to build a strong foundation for peace and prosperity. To maintain

this progress, Sri Lankans will need to contend with democratic governance, income inequality, marginalised

communities, a weak civil society, and a need for improved disaster risk reduction and resilience building.

Although ACTED will always retain its capacity to react to urgent crises, our strategy must strive to stay in

line with the country’s long-term potential, needs and opportunities. Therefore, in collaboration with key

stakeholders, ACTED Sri Lanka developed the following strategy, with a focus on three strategic pillars of

intervention: 1) Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Growth; 2) Strengthening Civil Society and Enhancing

Effective Governance; 3) Responding to Emergencies and Building Disaster Resilience.

We expect the implementation of this strategy will ensure the continued success of ACTED towards building

community level capacity and linkages for economic development, empowerment, and resiliency in Sri

Lanka. It is through the generous support of our donor partners as well as the dedicated efforts of our staff

and implementing partners that ACTED is able to deliver its assistance.

Andrew Chatting

Country Director

Foreword


Section 1

About ACTED


Background Founded in 1993, ACTED is a non-governmental organization with headquarters in Paris, France. Independent, private and not-for-profit, ACTED respects strict political and religious impartiality and operates according to principles of non-discrimination and transparency. With a budget of 120 Mill. EUR in 2013, ACTED is active in 34 countries around the world and implements more than 350 projects a year with 260 international and more than 3,500 national staff.

Our Mission ACTED’s mission is to save lives and assist people with their needs during crises. ACTED undertakes programs that target the most vulnerable amongst those populations that have suffered from conflict, natural disaster, or socio-economic hardship. ACTED’s approach looks beyond the immediate emergency towards opportunities for longer term reconstruction and sustainable development.

Our Vision, Spirits and Values

An International Network to Influence ACTED’s offices in Paris, Geneva, Washington DC, Dakar, Nairobi, Amman, Delhi and Bangkok are transmitting our field operations and experiences to international humanitarian institutions as well as our donors while monitoring progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and participating in dialogue and consultations on key humanitarian and development initiatives, such as the post-2015 development agenda and the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction. ACTED also strives to share its experiences and expertise with other actors working in development cooperation, with whom we share common values. As such, ACTED is a member of important humanitarian partnerships and networks such as the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), Alliance2015, InterAction, International Council of Humanitarian Agencies (ICVA), Voluntary Organisations in Cooperation in Emergencies (VOICE) and CoordinationSud.



Section 2

Sri Lanka Country Profile


Sri Lanka is an island country of 65,610 sq. km located in the Indian Ocean off the south eastern coast of India. Its population, according to the World Bank, was approximately 20.3 million in 2012, with an annual population growth rate of 1.0% as of 2011. Sri Lanka gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1948, after nearly 450 years of colonisation by various Western powers. Since independence, national politics have been characterized by tensions between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) undertook military and extremist operations in pursuit of an independent homeland for the Tamil minority in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka from the early 1980s until their defeat in May 2009. The final stages of the war saw intense fighting, which resulted in the mass displacement of approximately 280,000 people living in the heavily conflict-affected area of the Northern Province (also called “Vanni”) to camps for Internally Displaced People (IDP). At the end of the war, the government of Sri Lanka called for the redevelopment of the country, with particular opportunities for reconstruction in the North and East of the island. By the end of December 2012, the authorities, together with the international community, had resettled approximately 480,000 persons to their areas of origin. As of 2013, more than 9,800 IDPs remain in IDP camps in Vavuniya, Jaffna and Trincomalee districts and 82,000 people are staying with host communities, unable to return to their places of origin.1 IDPs returning to the Vanni face dire living conditions in their war-ravaged home region, with widespread destruction of infrastructure, risk of landmines, and lack of resources and social services. Sri Lanka is classified as a lower middle income country with a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of US$ 5,170 in 2012 – a 1.5-fold increase over 2005. With a life expectancy of 75.1 years and literacy rate of 91.2%, Sri Lanka’s social development indicators are far higher than most of its South Asian neighbours.2 Despite almost three decades of civil war, the devastating 2004 Tsunami and the 2008 global financial crisis (during which the country took an IMF loan), economic growth has remained consistent at between 6-8% per annum from 2005-2012.3 Growth, however, has disproportionately favoured the Western Province – which accounts for approximately 50% of national GDP. The most heavily conflict-affected provinces, concentrated in the North and East, have lagged behind in terms of income-generating opportunities, social indicators and living conditions. These disparities are hindering Sri Lanka’s achievements in terms of economic growth and human development.4 Further economic expansion is expected as private consumption is fuelled by rising incomes in the country as well as remittances from Sri Lankans abroad. Recovery in consumer and business confidence is expected to stimulate economic activity, including greater investment and a number of large-scale infrastructure projects. Improvements in the agricultural sector are anticipated as the formerly conflict-affected Northern and Eastern Provinces enhance cultivation and output.

1 IDMC (2013), Numbers of IDPs in Sri Lanka. 2 UNDP (2012), Human Development Report. 3 USAID (2013), Sri Lanka: Economic Growth and Trade. 4 UNDP (20120, Sri Lanka Human Development Report 2012.


Section 3

ACTED in Sri Lanka


ACTED launched its Sri Lanka operations in January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami in December 2004. Interventions in 2005 and early 2006 were focused on providing immediate disaster relief and rehabilitation activities to tsunami-affected populations in the Eastern Province. As internal conflict in Sri Lanka escalated in August 2006, resulting in large-scale internal displacement, ACTED took a lead role in implementing emergency water, sanitation and hygiene interventions for 16,000 IDPs.

As the government took control of the East in mid-2007 and civilians returned to their homes, ACTED began implementing post-conflict reconstruction projects focused on the provision of livelihood support and the rehabilitation of critical infrastructure. While these longer-term development projects continued in the East, ACTED expanded its operations as the conflict spread in order to address the basic needs of IDPs in camps in the North. By early 2009, ACTED’s operations included economic development, food security, and civil society strengthening projects in the East, and emergency relief through water, sanitation and hygiene promotion activities in the North.

With the end of the conflict in May 2009 and the return process under way, ACTED began to implement short-term relief and rehabilitation interventions in the North. These projects focused on ensuring livelihood and food security through cash-for-work and micro-enterprise development as well as rehabilitating and constructing productive infrastructure.

Under its 2011-2013 strategy, ACTED Sri Lanka focused on three key sectors of intervention: (1) Agricultural Livelihoods and Economic Development: support to agricultural productivity and market linkages for small farm holders, development of micro, small and medium enterprises and facilitation of access to micro-credit; (2) Local Governance: capacity-building for community-based organisations and promotion of networks among civil society groups and linkages between state and non-state actors; (3) Emergency Response to the 2011 floods in the North and East; and rehabilitation and recovery with a focus on livelihoods, food security and rehabilitation of productive infrastructure and assets in conflict affected areas in the Northern Province.

ACTED’s current projects focus on longer-term development activities and have evolved with the needs of vulnerable communities in the East and North of the country to empower people to continue rebuilding their livelihoods, improve food security and empower the re-establishment of an active civil society.


Section 4

ACTED Sri Lanka Programme Strategy

2014 - 2016


Our Objective: To provide adapted tools to build capacity and linkages for resiliency,empowerment, and economic development in Sri Lanka

Program Pillar 1

Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Growth

• Advisory services and support to Micro,Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) tocreate employment opportunities

• Value chain approaches, particularly in theinformal sector

• Making markets work for the poor (M4P)

• Promoting a safe and dignified workenvironment

• Supporting social protection schemes

• Technical and vocational education andtraining (TVET) and apprenticeships with aspecific emphasis on youth and women

Program Pillar 2

Strengthening Civil Society and Effective Governance

• Inclusive and participatory localdevelopment planning and promoting multi-stakeholder dialogue for collective action

• Institutional capacity building of CSOs

• Training and small grants to CSOs tosupport their core mandate programming

• Training, technical assistance and/orresources to local authorities and servicedelivery agents

• Formation of civil society initiatives

• Empowering citizens to ensure thatservices are delivered in a transparent andaccountable manner

Program Pillar 3

Responding to Emergencies and Building Disaster Resilience

• Community-Based Disaster RiskManagement (CBDRM)

• Ecosystem-based disaster risk reductionwith a specific emphasis on Climate ChangeAdaptation (CCA) and Integrated NaturalResource Management (INRM)

• Emergency response (multi-sector)

• Rehabilitation and recovery with focus onconstruction and rehabilitation of,infrastructure and productive assets, foodsecurity, WASH, and restoring livelihoodsand fostering self-reliance throughhousehold economy approach


Situation Analysis Sri Lanka has experienced significant economic growth over the past two decades. Since the end of the conflict in 2009 Sri Lanka has experienced GDP growth at rates of over 8%5 and has been categorised as a lower middle income country by the World Bank. Gross National Income (GNI) per capita rose steadily throughout the war and increased from US$4,256 in 2009 to US$5,170 in 2012.6 Sri Lanka has become a prime destination for foreign investment, with a number of large-scale investments in natural resources, logistics and transport, tourism and services sectors since 2009. Yet, wide gaps in economic gains persist, primarily along North-South and urban-rural divides. Based in the Gini index which measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income, Sri Lanka ranks as the world’s 23rd most unequal country out of a list of 140 countries with an index of 49.0.7 The current economic marginalisation experienced in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka has been severely exacerbated by the country’s nearly three decades of internal conflict. Years of restrictions and blockades, as well as widespread destruction of infrastructure, have stifled local economic development and limited opportunities for small and medium enterprises. Long-term conflict and repeated natural disasters have led to widespread internal displacement and asset loss. With the return of displaced households it is clear that many households have lost land and lack capital to invest in livelihood assets. On top of this, low and unstable incomes, and rising food and commodity prices have attributed to high poverty rates. One of the greatest challenges in Sri Lanka’s current process of economic development is to empower populations excluded from the benefits of rising national incomes and increased foreign investment. Even as large foreign-owned infrastructure and investment projects begin to reach the East and North, local markets are unprepared and insufficiently structured for multinational competition encouraging the emergence of industries that do not favour the local population, harm ecosystems and drain local resources. Marginalised populations need to move beyond subsistence agriculture in order to establish sustainable and profitable livelihoods and link with the emerging market system. Small enterprise development is therefore viewed as a priority by the central and local governments. ACTED has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development to assist in the achievement of this priority and to ensure that ACTED projects complement and support local development plans. Most small enterprises have low capacity and productivity and, as a result, generate a meagre income for their dependents. Knowledge of business management and technical skills, as well as improved technology and links with retailers, wholesalers and transportation, are critical to small enterprise development and the creation of employment opportunities.

5 World Bank (2014), World Development Indicators. 6 PPP constant 2005. Source: UNDP. International Human Development Indicators. 7 CIA. The World Factbook; if income were distributed with prefect equality, the index would be zero; if income were distributed with perfect inequality, the index would be 100.

Pillar 1. Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Growth


ACTED’s Programmatic Approach Conceptual Approach: ACTED supports a value chain approach to help poor producers increase their production, capture market opportunities, obtain fair deals, and produce higher-quality products, thus increasing incomes and employment and harnessing economic growth. ACTED adopts a Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) approach across its programming under this pillar. Under a BoP approach to poverty alleviation, populations operating in informal economies are viewed not as victims, but as potential entrepreneurs, innovators and value-conscious consumers able to actively participate in and drive their own social and economic development.

Networks help Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) become more competitive in a market that is becoming more saturated with large domestic and international investors. ACTED links MSMEs of similar interests together to cooperate and compete in an increasingly supplier driven market. This cooperation between SMEs allows them to negotiate better prices and provide goods and services in bulk quantities. Networks also include Chambers of Commerce, finance institutions and local and national level government authorities in order to give local businesses influence in the development of the local economy. ACTED aims to address the consequences of inequality through social integration and protection by enhancing the capacity of the most vulnerable populations to manage economic and social risks, such as unemployment, exclusion, sickness, disability and old age. ACTED also aims to facilitate vulnerable populations’ abilities to advocate for their own needs to local government through access to avenues of dialogue, including local development plans, and civil society advocacy. Practical Actions: ACTED supports the development of robust and competitive local economies that are vulnerable to the increased competition of large domestic and foreign investors, particularly in rural and peri-urban settings. To this end, ACTED “invests” into viable MSMEs to grow their business and create employment opportunities through the provision of fixed and working capital. The focus is on already existing businesses engaged in value addition or provision of services. Apart from the provision of inputs and capital, ACTED also provides targeted technical assistance including business plan development, marketing, financial management, and sector specific trainings to these MSMEs. Environmentally friendly and sustainable production, distribution, and consumption will also be encouraged to ensure that the local market remains competitive in the long run and e income generating activities and employment opportunities are stable.


Networks and cooperation among entrepreneurs, investors, government support systems (e.g. Rural Development Bank, Industrial Development Board) and Chambers of Commerce is an important principle that underpins ACTED’s “Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Growth” pillar. ACTED actively strengthens and widens these networks beyond the local areas of operation by encouraging and facilitating participation of all relevant stakeholders in exhibitions, and trade and employment fairs.. This opportunity provides enterprises with access to markets beyond their immediate area with a potential long-term view to export goods to international markets. Public-Private-Partnerships are encouraged in order to create deeper links between the private and government sectors at a local level; encouraging a government that is invested in the success of the local private sector. ACTED assists MSMEs to gain access to capital. Provision of loans that are converted into grants upon achievement of agreed upon targets (for example, creation of a certain number of jobs), or links to financial institutions and services provide growing enterprises and the working poor the ability to form a sustainable income. The added impetus of capital and the vital capacity building detailed above allows MSMEs to grow their businesses and support further vulnerable households within their local value chain, including employees and primary producers. ACTED emphasises inclusive markets that enhance the access of vulnerable populations, particularly women and youth, to quality income generating and employment opportunities. The above activities target these vulnerable groups by supporting enterprises, but also ensuring that trainings in inclusive employment and treatment of vulnerable groups are included in all programming. Additionally, ACTED supports technical vocational education and training (TVET) using a dual-system approach (classroom training and apprenticeships). The aim is to produce a skilled work-force from rural and peri-urban areas that can be easily absorbed by the labour market.

Partnership Strategy In order to support MSME development, ACTED works to develop supportive stakeholder networks from the local to the national level. As such, ACTED and the MSMEs it supports are able to partner and cooperate with a range of government, civil society and private actors. Local-level primary producers are linked at the district level to chambers of commerce, district rural development banks, other financial institutions, local authorities and line ministries. At the national level, networks are formed with the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development, the Central Bank, and the National Rural Development Bank. The development of local-district-national support networks ensures sustainability and long-term support for MSMEs and local value chains. ACTED partners with CEFE-Net (Competency-based Economies through Formation of Enterprise), a group of business professionals, trainers and mentors to provide long term support to MSMEs in the development of sustainable plans based on local knowledge of the business landscape.


Situation Analysis According the World Banks’ Worldwide Governance Indicators8, Sri Lanka’s governance performance has deteriorated over the past decade. For example, the indicator “Voice and accountability” which reflects perceptions of the extent to which a country's citizens are able to participate in selecting their government, as well as freedom of expression, freedom of association, and a free media has decreased from -0.15 in 2002 to -0.6 in 2012 based on ranges from -2.5 (weak) to 2.5 (strong) governance performance. The indicator “Government Effectiveness” which reflects perceptions of the quality of public services, the quality of the civil service and the degree of its independence from political pressures, the quality of policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of the government's commitment to such policies decreased from -0.06 to -0.24 in the same period while the indicator “Rule of Law” which Reflects perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence decreased from 0.32 to -0.11. Generally, with the end of the conflict in 2009, there has been a move towards a more centralized government. The top-down and centralized approach to governance is increasingly affecting local communities, as their specific needs and priorities are not being addressed and they are unable to participate in governance at the local and national level.

Decades of conflict have weakened links between state and non-state actors. Despite attempts by the government at different levels, international donors and aid agencies to improve local service provision, strategies for service delivery and development planning remain centralized and are becoming more top-down in their approach. Because of this, local communities and populations are viewed as passive recipients whereas service providers are not accountable to the end users. Civil society offers an arena in which communities can come together to share interests, ideas and values. It

offers a platform for dialogue with local government authorities in order to exchange views and information on public matters. The rebuilding of communication between civil society and local authorities is crucial to improving the accountability of local governance mechanisms and allow for more participatory local development planning and implementation. Community participation in local governance can, in turn, be integrated into division and district level policies and development plans, reinforcing the benefits and importance of bottom-up development processes.

8 World Bank (2013). Worldwide Governance Indicators. http://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi/index.aspx#doc

Pillar 2. Strengthening Civil Society and Effective

Governance


Sri Lanka has a long history of village-level community-based organizations (CBOs) formed to identify and address shared problems. This type of collective action has an enormous potential. As individuals, the rural poor do not have many opportunities to change their situation, but when they work together they can provide community services, build basic infrastructure, establish revolving loan funds and reduce dependency on moneylenders, manage their common resources more effectively, have a stronger voice and more bargaining power, improve their access to services and resources, and purchase inputs and market their products collectively. However, these CBOs are often small and informal and do not have the organizational and operational capacity to effectively advocate beyond their immediate local communities. Facilitating the development of these capacities and networks at local, district and national level also supports more effective dialogue between civil society and community groups, as well as between these groups and partners in local government.

ACTED’s Programmatic Approach Conceptual Approach: ACTED’s conceptual approach to this program pillar is based upon an empowered, pluralistic civil society and effective and responsive public institutions. The current thinking on the principles of transparency and accountability forms the entry point for ACTED’s approach: the dual promise embedded in transparency and accountability of more enlightened and engaged citizens demanding greater accountability around issues they care about, and the impact this can have on development has tremendous transformational potential. While empowering citizens to make demands and hold to account those who are meant to be responsible for delivering services and at the same time supporting local public institutions to provide better, more effective services to their constituents, ACTED specifically encourages different stakeholders – from groups of citizens, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and private sector to local governments and supportive sector institutions – to work effectively together in co-creating ways to act collectively and in their own best interest and thus be consistent agents in dynamic development processes. This collective action approach goes beyond the traditional supply and demand approaches, as it recognizes that marginalized communities have no access to services in the first place and are often too vulnerable to undertake the risks involved in supply and demand approaches.

Practical Actions: ACTED uses its collective action approach to facilitate inclusive and participatory local development planning using its Grassroots Development Plan (GDP) methodology. The main purpose of a GDP is to develop a selected area (using the Grama Nildhari as a planning unit) in a holistic and integrated manner with the involvement of a variety of development stakeholders. This includes economic development, infrastructure development and other aspects of human development i.e., education, health, drinking water supply, etc., GDPs are a roadmap for the development of their respective communities.


The GDP is a comprehensive document that outlines the main results of a participatory needs assessment and provides a justified response plan, identifying the resources available in each community, infrastructure and livelihood-related activities that need to be implemented, clear objectives and indicators as well as the path to addressing the key constraints faced by communities. The GDP development process therefore serves to empower communities to identify their main needs and priorities in a representative, democratic and unified manner, while giving them a clear written document to advocate their needs to external service providers. Ultimately, GDPs are a tool for communities to become actors of their own development and have their needs considered by relevant stakeholders, thus resulting in improved living conditions and more reliable public service delivery. As a practical action, ACTED provides block grants to kick-off priorities identified in GDPs. These grants are often utilized for local public projects and/or direct support to the construction, operation and maintenance of social infrastructure. ACTED considers Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) as key development agents. Therefore, ACTED’s programming aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of CSOs through the provision of capacity building trainings, technical assistance and relevant resources. This is partnered with ACTED’s Grassroots Organisational Capacity Assessment (GOCA), which measures individual CSOs’ capacity in five distinct categories of organisational sustainability: 1) organisational management; 2) financial management; 3) leadership, participation and group dynamics; 4) project cycle management; 5) and external linkages. The GOCA serves as a roadmap to tailor institutional strengthening mechanisms to the specific needs shown by each individual CSO. CSOs are also empowered to ensure that services are delivered in a transparent and accountable manner by providing them with skills to utilize social accountability tools such as Citizen Report Cards, Community Scorecards, service provider manuals and social audits. Following institutional capacity building, ACTED supports CSOs to implement their core mandate programming through the provision of small grants. In addition, ACTED provides targeted training, technical assistance and/or resources to local authorities and

service delivery agents to improve participatory planning, involve local communities in policy formulation

and deliver more efficient and transparent services. ACTED also promotes dialogue among multiple

development stakeholders for improved development planning, service delivery and encouragement of

participatory initiatives through organization of platforms, forums, public hearings, etc. Such events form the

ideal stage where local communities and civil society can voice their needs and concerns, and openly discuss

findings generated by social accountability tools.

ACTED has established a Civil Society Resource Centre in Killinochchi that provides services to civil society organisations throughout the Northern Province. Services and resources provided by the Centre are based on a continuing dialogue with member and non-member organisations. The Centre also provides a link between citizens, civil society and the local authorities; encouraging dialogue and partnership between all relevant stakeholders. The mandate of the Centre is one of self-reliance; to cooperate in identifying local solutions to local problems.


Based in Kilinochchi, CIRCLE (CSO Interactive Resources Center for Local

Empowerment) is a civil society resource center. Co-founded by ACTED, CIRCLE began operations in 2014 as an independent Sri Lankan non-

governmental organization. It provides demand-driven training and technical

assistance, yielding increased CSO institutional and operational capacities along with new initiatives toward securing better government services.

Training topics for CSOs include organizational, project cycle and financial management, leader ship/group dynamics and external relations, among

others. CIRCLE also provides registration and proposal writing advice. Further facilities and services include a training venue, internet access

through a ‘café,’ legal advice, a lending library, a CSO contact list, a monthly

newsletter and a web site for CSO postings. CIRCLE sustains itself financially through a combination of membership and service fees.

Partnership Strategy Building partnerships between civil society and local authorities to provide support to vulnerable communities requires communicative and accountable stakeholders. ACTED facilitates partnerships between civil society and local authorities in Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka by supporting projects encouraging and featuring cooperation between civil society and government stakeholders. The GDP methodology used by ACTED supports government development plans at all levels. Throughout the scope of this Programme Strategy, ACTED will coordinate with the joint EU-UN Support to District Development Programme (SDDP), planned to run from 2012-2017, and its civil society and local government partners. Similar to ACTED’s GDP methodology, the partners will work in close collaboration with the district and provincial authorities with interventions identified based on the priorities laid down in the District and Regional Development Plans. This is expected to support the transition phase of assistance and to contribute to the sustainable and inclusive economic growth of Sri Lanka. It is important that lessons and best practices from ACTED’s programming feeds into SDDP in order to encourage participatory and more sustainable district and provincial development plans. ACTED will continue to promote networks among civil society groups by continuing to support the sustainable and independent Civil Society Resource Centre in Killinochchi. This Centre will address CSO needs and help CSOs work together to feed into development planning at the district, provincial and national levels. It will also allow CSOs to influence the private sector by supporting demand driven education and vocational trainings that are relevant to the needs and priorities of the North. Through our wider programming, ACTED will also strive to develop the capacity of localized and sector specific members of Sri Lanka’s civil society. Partnerships with organisations that specialize in specific sectors of intervention, or have a specific geographical interest will be prioritised throughout the next programme strategy cycle. ACTED’s interventions will ensure capacity building continues locally after ACTED projects have finished.


Situation Analysis Sri Lanka’s population is vulnerable to multiple threats posed by natural hazards. The devastation of 2004’s Indian Ocean Tsunami will live long in the memory of Sri Lanka’s population. However, other natural hazards, particularly floods and droughts, are becoming more recurrent and severe. Between 2004 and 2013, floods affected over three million people across the country, largely in previously conflict-affected and vulnerable regions. Over the last 10 years from 2004-2013, there was a 43% increase in the number of significant flood occurrences from the previous decade, a 54% increase from the period of 1984-1993, and a 233%

increase from the period of 1974-1983.9 Climate change has not only led to more severe monsoon seasons, but also more severe dry seasons. The drought of 2012, listed as one of the worst in recent records, affected almost two million people, largely in the North and East. The high frequency of hazards impacting the country leaves the population at high risk. In addition, due to multiple displacements, the high prevalence of socio-economic poverty, lack of inclusive community-based disaster preparedness, lack of participation in early warning systems, and low social capital and networks, Sri Lanka’s populations in the North and East are considered particularly vulnerable. Most residents in these regions, particularly the most vulnerable (women, persons with disabilities, widows, children, the elderly) are excluded from assistance networks and disproportionately exposed to the impacts of disasters. During the 2010 floods, the populations that were most vulnerable did not receive an early warning message, putting them at even greater risk, and were particularly reliant on external interventions by international humanitarian actors. The existing national Disaster Management Committee (DMC) and District Disaster Management Units (DDMU) have a particularly strong mandate, but have adopted a top-down approach to implementation of disaster management and risk mitigation activities. Planning and budgeting by these agencies is often undertaken with minimal understanding for community level needs and priorities (i.e., level of risk, vulnerabilities, and capacities). Communication between national, district and local authorities is also limited, leading to poor implementation of centrally-planned activities at the local level and no mainstreaming of DRR initiatives into local development planning.

9 Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) - Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters.

Pillar 3. Responding to Emergencies and Building

Disaster Resilience


ACTED’s Programmatic Approach Conceptual Approach Under this programmatic pillar, ACTED works within

the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) cycle which

includes all activities, programs and measures

thatcan be taken up before, during and after a

disaster - whether natural or man-made - with the

purpose to avoid it, reduce its impact, or recover

from its losses. Rather than consider a linear

continuum approach to DRM and building disaster

resilience, ACTED utilizes a cyclical and continuous

continuum approach, which forms part of a holistic

cycle, with different interventions combining

response, recovery, mitigation and preparedness

while Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development

(LRRD). Better development can reduce the need for

emergency relief; better relief can contribute to

development; and better rehabilitation can ease the

transition between the two.

ACTED places resilience at the heart of its disaster risk management approach. ACTED recognizes that shocks

and stresses are just one of many factors driving vulnerability and firmly believes that building resilience of

affected populations in a holistic way is effective, cost efficient and sustainable. Resilience refers to the

capacity of an individual, household, population group or system to absorb, adapt, and transform from

shocks and stresses without compromising - and potentially enhancing - long-term prospects. Absorptive

capacity covers the coping strategies individuals, households, or communities use to moderate or buffer the

impacts of shocks on their livelihoods and basic needs. Adaptive capacity is the ability to learn from

experience and adjust responses to changing external conditions, yet continue operating. Transformative

capacity is the capacity to create a fundamentally new system when ecological, economic, or social

structures make the existing system untenable. The resilience concept is not just looking at the impact of

disasters, but also at what makes communities

vulnerable to multiple shocks and stresses. It

further examines to what extent communities are

able to bounce back after a disaster, conflict or

shock, therefore addressing their core

vulnerabilities and putting more emphasis on the

need for recovery from such shocks to mitigate

future risks. ACTED’s efforts to build resilience aims

at contributing to a sustainable reduction in

vulnerability through increased absorptive,

adaptive and transformative capacity of local

populations, governments and other actors;

improved ability to identify, address and reduce

risk; and improved social and economic conditions

of vulnerable populations. A resilience approach

within the disaster risk management cycle provides

the crucial link between emergency response, early

recovery and long-term development.


Practical Actions: ACTED has significant global experience and expertise to deploy, implement and effectively react to sudden crises. ACTED Sri Lanka has substantial in-country experience in responding to emergencies, including the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami, the resettlement of conflict affected IDPs, and numerous floods. ACTED Sri Lanka’s emergency response expertise includes: water, sanitation and hygiene promotion; short-term access to food and non-food relief items; rapid shelter provision; protection and restoration of livelihood assets; and building of community infrastructure and assets. Although ACTED has significant emergency experience, preparedness and mitigation of disasters has proven to have a greater impact on future lives. Preparedness interventions in particular are less costly than emergency relief and response: For every US$ 1 spent on disaster preparedness, about US$ 7 are saved on possible disaster relief expenses.10 ACTED supports the building of resilient communities through the Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) model. This model aims to strengthen disaster preparedness by mobilizing communities to assess, evaluate and minimize risk themselves, recognizing that communities possess the most relevant and up-to-date knowledge on the hazards and vulnerabilities that affect them. Activities implemented under this model include: the establishment of Early Warning Systems; capacity-building and training of Community-Based Organizations and local authorities; structural and non-structural mitigation measures and public awareness-raising; and education programmes, including drills.

A key focus of ACTED’s DRM programming in this strategic program period will be the promotion and institutionalization of ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction with a specific emphasis on Climate Change Adaptation (promotion of climate-smart agricultural practices, energy efficiency, etc.) and Integrated Natural Resource Management (watershed management, sustainable land use, etc.). Ecosystems play a key role in regulating climate, providing hazard protection and sustaining livelihoods, yet their role in the context of DRR has been largely ignored until recently. Indeed, ecosystem

management is often only perceived to have conservation (i.e. maintaining biodiversity) rather than DRR value. However, investing in ecosystems in many cases is the most readily available and effective solution to reducing underlying risk factors and providing protection against the vagaries of nature. ACTED believes that ecosystem-based DRR, especially in coastal areas of Sri Lanka, has the potential to impact all elements of the disaster risk equation – mitigating hazards, reducing exposure, reducing vulnerabilities and increasing the resilience of exposed communities. Well managed ecosystems can serve as natural infrastructure to prevent hazards or buffer hazard impacts; reduce the exposure of people and their productive assets to hazards; sustain livelihoods; and provide for basic needs (water, food, shelter, etc.).

10 Dan Sparks, Aid Investments in Disaster Risk Reduction – Rhetoric to Action, 2012.


Technical support and capacity development will be provided to existing disaster risk management structures and organizations at the sub-national and local levels. ACTED works closely with local authorities, involving them in CBDRR, improving communication flows and integrating CBDRM outputs into DS and district-level development plans. In order to affect change to the system of top-down allocation of resources that the DMC tends to utilize, the increased efficiency and effectiveness of using the CBDRM methodology in local government planning will be clearly demonstrated and highlighted, supporting efforts to promote the replication of CBDRR within government.

Partnership Strategy ACTED is a regular member of the Colombo-based INGO Forum and participates in relevant area-level coordination meetings with local government officials and other emergency relief and development stakeholders. ACTED was an effective participant when clusters meetings were active at the national and provincial levels and in the relevant technical working groups (e.g., WASH and livelihoods). ACTED maintains a strong working relationship with both local and national levels of government and has an active presence in the Eastern and Northern Provinces with good on the ground capacity and knowledge.

ACTED takes a multi-stakeholder approach to disaster risk management in order to maximize existing human, social, technical and financial capacities. Several key partnerships are with the national DMC, district DDMUs and GN-level Disaster Management Committees. These institutions form the backbone of disaster management and resilience in a sustainable Sri Lankan model. Civil society partnerships are also crucial in linking

communities to local and national government decision makers. ACTED works to facilitate CSO engagement with local authorities in DRR programming through the CBDRR model. On a regional level, ACTED has signed a partnership agreement with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC), to share experience learning and innovation, and plans to develop a relationship with the South Asia Association of Regional Cooperation’s (SAARC) Disaster Management Centre (DMC) to continue learning on a regional level.


Inclusion ACTED prioritises the inclusion of vulnerable groups in local and participatory decision-making, working to achieve adequate representation of women, persons with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities, children, youth, elderly and other marginalised populations. Given the inadequacy of social safety nets and limited inclusiveness at most levels of governance, ACTED considers the special needs of vulnerable groups by engaging them in all steps of the project cycle and across programmatic pillars. These groups are also targeted through specific interventions to address income generation, participation in governance and social protection. Women’s Empowerment ACTED Sri Lanka takes gender equality seriously and mainstreams it in all interventions. Despite virtual equality in levels of literacy and education among women and men in Sri Lanka, women continue to face significant barriers to participation, advancement, and equality in the workforce. ACTED believes that gender inequality serves as a constraint on both economic and social development, and women are often disproportionately affected by disaster and poverty. When women are given opportunities for social and economic advancement, families, communities, and national development efforts reap the benefits. Economic empowerment for women ‘fast tracks’ poverty reduction and supports progress towards the achievement of the MDGs. ACTED Sri Lanka’s Gender Policy requires that all staff are committed to the promotion of gender equality, ensures a gender-sensitive working environment, and sets clear goals for the advancement of gender equality across all programmes, policies and organisational procedures. International standards and best practices in gender are applied to programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and ACTED’s prioritisation of gender equality is consistently communicated to the public, media, donors, partners and government agencies. Environment ACTED recognises that human and economic development are dependent on the natural environment and seeks to integrate and promote environmental sustainability across interventions. Environmentally friendly and sustainable production will be encouraged in the support of livelihood activities, and climate change adaptation techniques will be considered in DRM mitigation techniques. ACTED recognizes that management of natural resources in a country of limited land is a crucial aspect of environmental sustainability.

Cross-Cutting Aspects


Social Integration ACTED works to enhance social integration and promote human dignity across all areas of its work by empowering individuals and communities to engage with local government and promote harmonious intra-and inter-community relations. In Sri Lanka’s post-conflict environment, the promotion of active citizenship is crucial to successful cross-cultural understanding and social integration. Child Protection ACTED believes in the fundamental right of children to grow up safely and enjoy a childhood that is free from exploitation and abuse. Children across the world, including in Sri Lanka, are subjected to exploitation and

abuse and experience sexual, physical and psychological violation. Many are forced into exploitative work, including commercial sexual exploitation. Therefore, preventing child exploitation and abuse is a high priority for ACTED Sri Lanka. ACTED is committed to working with its partners to prevent and respond to child exploitation and abuse. ACTED’s activities are guided by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and ACTED’s own organizational code of conduct and child protection policy, which emphasize prevention as well as accountability.

Conflict Sensitivity and Do No harm To ensure that ACTED follows the humanitarian principle of “Do No Harm”, we are continually developing our internal capacity to understand the context in which we operate, particularly intergroup relations. ACTED and its teams try to understand the interactions between our projects, interventions and efforts and the context and group relations and act upon the understanding of these interactions in order to avoid negative impact and maximize positive impacts. ACTED Sri Lanka is consciously trying to make a positive contribution to the post-conflict reconciliation efforts in the country.


Documents

Sri Lanka Programme Strategy 2014-2016 - ACTED Sri Lanka Programme Strategy 2014 – 2016 Page | 9 Sri Lanka is an island country of 65,610 sq. km located in the Indian Ocean off the