Visit Swiss Cooperation Office websites.
A number of short films provide an insight into the SDC’s mission
Portrait of an employee in Sri LankaHumanitarian Aid
All short films
- Swiss-Medium Term Programme for Sri Lanka 2010-2012
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and Political Division lV, Human Security
Download (PDF, 3197 KB) : [en]
Sri Lanka
Website of the SDC in Sri Lanka: www.swiss-cooperation.admin.ch/srilanka
|
In May 2009, the armed conflict in the north of Sri Lanka was officially declared as ended. Since then, a majority of the more than 250,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been able to return to their regions of origin in the northern and eastern parts of the country. Following a phase of humanitarian aid delivery, the SDC has now turned its efforts to reconstruction and income promotion. In partnership with UNHABITAT and the Swiss relief agency SOLIDAR Schweiz, it is implementing a programme for the reconstruction of housing for over 2,000 families returning to the north of the island. Improving living conditions and income opportunities Funding for relief agencies Reconstruction after the tsunami |
| The Swiss Government's bilateral commitment | 2010 |
2011 |
2012* |
|---|---|---|---|
| SDC | |||
| Bilateral development cooperation | 1.10 | 0.50 | – |
| Humanitarian aid | 7.77 | 7.86 | 4.45 |
| State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) | |||
| Economic Cooperation and Development | – | – | – |
| Total SDC/SECO commitment | 8.87 | 8.36 | 4.45 |
| Other Federal Offices | |||
| FDFA Human Security Division and Directorate of International Law | 0.85 | 0.65 | 0.68 |
| State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER) | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Total other Federal Offices | 0.90 | 0.67 | 0.70 |
| Total | 9.77 | 9.03 | 5.15 |
Bilateral development cooperation excluding programme contributions to NGOs
– = nil or amount < 5'000 CHF
Development Cooperation: Priorities
A short time ago, the SDC initiated a new priority programme in the domain of migration.
More specifically, at present the SDC is focusing its commitment on the following projects:
- Since early 2010, the SDC’s Global Programme Migration has been developing a two-pronged approach. Sustainable solutions are being sought for internally displaced persons in the former conflict regions in the north, while the rights of the economic migrants leaving for jobs in the Gulf States are to be strengthened and the social costs to Sri Lanka arising from migration are to be reduced.
- Governance and human rights: Support to the Swiss Embassy in responding to pertinent requests for assistance in these areas.
The SDC’s partners in development cooperation are:
- Various local NGOs,
- The Swiss relief organization Helvetas
- The International Labour Organization of the UN (ILO)
The armed conflict claimed numerous civilian lives from the moment that the peace agreement was terminated by the Sri Lankan government in January 2008 up until the end of the war with the
military offensive in northern Sri Lank in May 2009. The emergency phase of humanitarian aid to ensure return assistance and emergency supplies for displaced persons from the former conflict area,
i.e., the so-.called Vanni region, has now been concluded. The SDC is focusing on reconstruction efforts in its current programmes, along with measures to foster income and to strengthen local
village structures.
On the Jaffna Peninsula in the north of Sri Lanka, the SDC works in concert with its local partners to assist low-income women with children to be able to make a living. It is also in Jaffna that the
SDC is engaged in the rebuilding of two schools that were partly destroyed by the conflict. The project is located in a high-security military zone newly open to the civilian population since the
beginning of 2010. The construction of such schools makes it easier for families with school-aged children to return and to re-integrate themselves in their former hometown.
A priority project, which is being managed by the SDC on its own, is the reconstruction of housing for over 2000 families in the districts of Jaffna and Klilinochchi. The project provides support to
the families in the reconstruction of their homes by using a so-called “owner-driven” approach. Another integral element of the project is the restoration of the village infrastructure (primary
school and kindergarten, medical dispensaries, and water-provision facilities). Furthermore, the village commune is provided with advice and support in issues concerning the organization of the
community, e.g., agricultural cooperatives, connection to the national road network, establishment of community fora, etc.
Areas of Swiss humanitarian aid intervention:
- support for the humanitarian aid efforts provided by multilateral and international organizations, in particular return assistance, protection of displaced persons, and demining
- support to 2000 families in the rebuilding of their homes in villages damaged by the conflict
- new construction and support for the reconstruction of schools damaged during the fighting and by the tsunami
- fostering of income for underprivileged groups of the population
The SDC’s partners in these programmes and projects are:
- Cooperation with multilateral partners such as the ICRC, UNHCR, and WFP
- Cooperation with NGOs (Swiss, international, national)
- The Sri Lankan Government
- Other units of the FDFA such as Political Affairs Division IV (PA IV) and other SDC departments (Regional and Global Cooperation)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Source: World Bank's World Development Indicators 2010 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Local SDC contact address:
|
Sri Lanka (Colombo) |
|
|
Swiss Cooperation Office Sri Lanka |
|
| Phone | +941 126 88347 |
| Fax | +941 126 88348 |
| colombo@sdc.net | |
| Website | www.swiss-cooperation.admin.ch/srilanka |
 |
Additional Information and Documents Here, you will find more publications, links, documents and articles about Swiss development cooperation and humanitarian aid in this country. |