R4D Sri Lanka

Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management in Conflict Affected Areas: the case of Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka, SCR Discussion Paper 7

Fri, 11 May 2012 08:26 GMT

Document Type: Discussion Paper
Creator: Ibrahim, M.; Fernando, K.

Production Year: 2010

Citation: Ibrahim, M.; Fernando, K. Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management in Conflict Affected Areas: the case of Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka, SCR Discussion Paper 7. (2010) : 45 pp.

Summary: The communites of Navatcholai and Sinnakulam in the district of Trincomalee in Sri Lanka have faced violent conflict and been subjected to resettlement and risks such as rising temperatures and rainfall, droughts and floods, strong winds, cyclones and elephant attacks. In response, the Organisation for Eelam Refugee Rehabilitation (OfERR), together with Christian Aid, supported a community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) approach in the district. Its aim was to build the community’s capacity to prepare for and respond to risks, and to promote secure livelihoods. The project ran from 2006 to 2010, and built on a tsunami rehabilitation project which had started in 2005. After a mid-term review in 2008, it started to consider climate change issues. The communities themselves identified the risks and set up action plans with support from OfERR, mainly through Participatory Vulnerability and Capabilities Assessment (PVCA). The CBDRM methodology involved establishing five or six community sub-groups to implement the actions agreed in the PVCA on issues such as early warning, disaster preparedness, health, education, self help and peace-building. These groups liaised with the local administrative officials, mainly Grama Sevaka (GS), for support. They also involved the rest of the community in the activities. The process was guided by OfERR but managed by the community members. Monitoring and sharing of lessons learnt took place at different levels amongst the implementers and the community. Christian Aid made periodic visits with follow-up sessions, while OfERR met monthly to review progress and share information. In the community, each sub-group met weekly and the whole CBDRM group met monthly to discuss issues and share information. Pilot projects were added in the implementation strategy to demonstrate options for climate change adaptation (i.e. windmills/solar water pumping and an organic farm). OfERR staff also linked to the national disaster management process, and attended NGO coordination meetings as part of the CBDRM process. Christian Aid engaged in national level networking and advocacy for the integration of climate change DRM and livelihoods. This was all in the context of conflict and an emerging DRM and climate change adaptation policy involving the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and Climate Change Secretariat (CCS). It was concluded that the impacts of climate change adaptation (CCA) are new concepts and the integration into development and disaster agendas requires greater advocacy, more structured capacity building and hands-on involvement by Christian Aid, its partners and the community working together. The OfERR interventions have set a foundation that can be built up. Recommendations to OfERR and Christian Aid to maximise the integration of climate change, DRM and development activities are given.

Post-disaster housing reconstruction in a conflict affected district, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka: Reflecting on the Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management Approach, SCR Discussion Paper 6

Fri, 11 May 2012 06:30 GMT

Document Type: Discussion Paper
Creator: Ibrahim, M.

Production Year: 2010

Citation: Ibrahim, M. Post-disaster housing reconstruction in a conflict affected district, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka: Reflecting on the Climate Smart Disaster Risk Management Approach, SCR Discussion Paper 6. (2010) : 47 pp.

Summary: Sri Lanka has been the scene of waves of resettlement due to conflict and the 2004 South Asian Tsunami. Practical Action Sri Lanka, in partnership with DESMIO, a local NGO, sought to facilitate a housing project with people with disabilities and those most vulnerable in Manmunipattu Division of Batticaloa, a conflict affected and hazard prone division. This case study highlights the extent to which Practical Action Sri Lanka’s housing intervention reflects a climate smart disaster risk management (CSDRM) approach and whether this has led to an opening of inclusive spaces and citizen engagement on disaster risk management (DRM) in a post-conflict setting. The investigation highlights that Practical Action Sri Lanka has taken up actions which reflect elements across the three pillars of the CSDRM approach. Their participatory process of including beneficiary knowledge of local hazards and knowledge of changing climate opened up a space for local communities to participate in housing design and construction. The process allowed beneficiaries to learn about the planning, design process and benefits through masonry training. This learning was shared across the community and with other NGOs. In addition, supporting the livelihoods of beneficiaries was a core component of their housing reconstruction intervention as seen through masonry training of beneficiaries, paid unskilled labour for construction and support for a paper production plant. The integration of actions which reflect the three pillars of the CSDRM approach was possible as a result of building on their strengths of participatory development and promoting sustainable livelihoods as well as their dedication to organisational learning and innovation. However, more action could be taken to integrate the CSDRM approach, for example by triangulating local knowledge with weather trends, building on the capacity of local level authority, and opening up a space for linking various stakeholders and governmental scales together for information sharing and priority setting for DRM.

Protifolon Issue 3. Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation in South Asia

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:29 GMT

Document Type: Briefing
Creator: Atiq Rahman, A.; Fatema Rajabali; Mafruha Alam; Md. Masum Billah; Shah Md. Ashraful Amin (Editors)

Production Year: 2010

Citation: Atiq Rahman, A.; Fatema Rajabali; Mafruha Alam; Md. Masum Billah; Shah Md. Ashraful Amin (Editors). Protifolon Issue 3. Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation in South Asia. D.Net, Dhaka, Bangladesh (2010) 8 pp.

Summary: This issue focuses on how local communities in six countries in south-east Asia are managing risk; how they are coping with and preparing for possible disaster in their villages; how people living on the flood plains of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna river in Bangladesh are coping with annual flooding; and how rice farmers in Hambantota district, Sri Lanka are dealing with increasing soil salinity.

China and conflict-affected states – between principle and pragmatism. Sri Lanka case study.

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 03:09 GMT

Document Type: Case Study
Creator: Wheeler, T.

Production Year: 2012

Citation: Wheeler, T. China and conflict-affected states – between principle and pragmatism. Sri Lanka case study. Saferworld, (2012) 40 pp.

Summary: The Sri Lanka case study is excerpted from a full-length report published by Saferworld that focuses upon China’s role in conflict-affected contexts. The last few years of the war in Sri Lanka coincided with a deepening of relations with China. This case study examines the role China played during this period and discusses what impact it had on the conflict. It also explores whether China’s engagement has affected the form and shape stability has taken in post-war Sri Lanka. The study is based on evidence collected from a desk-review of literature, media analysis and research interviews carried out in Colombo, Beijing, Shanghai and London with diplomats, officials, academics, analysts, journalists and civil society organisations.

China and conflict-affected states – between principle and pragmatism

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 02:34 GMT

Document Type: Report
Creator: Campbell, I.; Wheeler, T.; Attree, L.; Butler, D.M.; Mariani, B.

Production Year: 2012

Citation: Campbell, I.; Wheeler, T.; Attree, L.; Butler, D.M.; Mariani, B. China and conflict-affected states – between principle and pragmatism. Saferworld, (2012) 143 pp.

Summary: We are witnessing a “revolution in the global order” and China is leading this revolution. In the West, analysts and policy makers are grappling with what China’s rise means for international relations and the spectrum of foreign policy concerns. In China itself policy makers are also coming to terms with this new found influence and the responsibilities that come with it. A critical issue will be what happens as China and other rising powers make their presence increasingly felt in countries where peace is precarious. The risk is that conflict issues may be aggravated, leading to instability and even the return of violent conflict. But equally, China’s increasing engagement offers opportunities to consolidate peace.

This report is one of the main outputs of a 12-month research project that examined the implications for peace and stability of China’s increasing engagement in conflict-affected states. The report is based on research in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Sudan and South Sudan, and contributes to the evidence base about how China’s rise will affect conflict-affected states. It is meant not only to raise awareness, but also to encourage policy makers to engage with the new realities, including how they can respond to the changing context for international efforts to promote peace and stability.

The report includes in-depth case studies of the specific contexts of Nepal, Sri Lanka, Sudan and South Sudan. These can also be downloaded as separate documents.

China and conflict affected states – risks and opportunities for building peace

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 07:55 GMT

Document Type: Briefing

Production Year: 2012

Citation: Anon. China and conflict affected states – risks and opportunities for building peace. (2012) 16 pp. Available in English and Chinese.

Summary: As the world order changes, rising powers like China are increasingly involved in countries where peace is fragile. This brings new responsibilities and policy choices for China, while it also means a new reality for Western donors and policy makers. These changes are affecting peace and stability in conflict-affected states. However, as Beijing’s approach towards these countries evolves there is an unprecedented opportunity for China and the West to develop more complementary approaches in support of peace.

This briefing highlights the implications for peace and stability of China’s growing engagement in conflict affected states. It is based on Saferworld research in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Sudan and South Sudan. It sets out key findings, conclusions and recommendations for Chinese and Western actors.

CREATE Newsletter Issue 7, December 2011

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:58 GMT

Document Type: Magazine/Newsletter
Creator: CREATE

Production Year: 2011

Citation: CREATE. CREATE Newsletter Issue 7, December 2011. (2011) 23 pp.

Summary: After six years of intensive research with large samples of households and children in Bangladesh, Ghana, India and South Africa, and smaller scale research in Kenya, Malawi, Sri Lanka and China CREATE is moving into a new phase to capitalise on its findings. Its ideas and concepts and its findings are influencing policy and practice through the networks of each of its partners at the national and international levels. This Newsletter gives news on activities of CREATE during 2011, including publications, and an Appendix lists all major CREATE publications by author.

Access, Attendance and Achievement in Rural Schools in Sri Lanka

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:32 GMT

Document Type: Report
Creator: Little, A.W.; Upul Indika, H.N.; Rolleston, C.

Production Year: 2011

Citation: Little, A.W.; Upul Indika, H.N.; Rolleston, C. Access, Attendance and Achievement in Rural Schools in Sri Lanka. Centre for International Education, Department of Education, University of Sussex, Falmer, UK (2011) 64 pp. ISBN 0-901881-87-2 [CREATE Pathways to Access Series, Research Monograph Number 73]

Summary: This monograph records research undertaken in three diverse rural communities comprising 397 households, 1,952 household members and 657 children aged 5-16 years. Household survey interviews were complemented by interviews with local officials, school principals and teachers and by analysis of school records. School level practices designed to improve attendance and achievement are described.

The findings suggest that there are strong rural community effects in the prediction of absenteeism and attendance at private tuition. Within communities, student achievement at Grade 5 performance is associated positively with the vernacular literacy level of the adult household member and attendance at private tuition. Performance on school-based tests is associated negatively with absence from school and household size, and positively with education assets at home and adult literacy in the vernacular and in English. Performance in the GCE O level examination is associated with the housing index, with private tuition and with adult literacy in English. Attendance at private tuition is associated positively with the availability of education assets at home and negatively with household size. Absenteeism is associated with economic status, as indicated by a housing index, and health problems.

The main challenges facing Sri Lanka currently lie in increasing the achievement levels of all social groups and in reducing dropout in the early secondary grades. Disparities need to be reduced between girls and boys, between urban and rural areas, between school types and between income groups in terms of enrolment in junior secondary and senior secondary education.

ICT Infrastructure in Emerging Asia: Policy and Regulatory Roadblocks

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:00 GMT

Document Type: Book
Creator: Samarajiva, R.; Zainudeen, A. (Editors)

Production Year: 2008

Citation: Samarajiva, R.; Zainudeen, A. (editors) ICT Infrastructure in Emerging Asia: Policy and Regulatory Roadblocks. Sage India/IDRC, (2008) 334 pp. ISBN 978-1-55250-378-2 [ebook]

Summary: This book examines how theoretically optimal concepts actually get implemented in the hard terrain of emerging Asia. It gleans lessons from five Asian countries — Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka — based on their experiences with expanding ICT connectivity. It reports the findings of a cutting-edge 3000+ sample demand-side survey of telephone use at the "bottom of the pyramid" in India and Sri Lanka. It considers the problem of expanding connectivity from different angles: that of the user, the operator, the policymaker, the regulator, and civil society. And it sheds light on a range of situations and technologies, like telephone use in post-conflict regions of Sri Lanka, Wi-Fi deployment in Indonesia, and universal service obligations in India.

Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium. Researching livelihoods and services affected by conflict.

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:52 GMT

Document Type: Document

Production Year: 2011

Citation: Anon. Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium. Researching livelihoods and services affected by conflict. ODI, London, UK (2011) 4 pp.

Summary: This leaflet provides background information about the Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (SLRC). The SLRC aims to provide a stronger evidence base about how people make a living, educate their children, deal with illness and access other basic services in conflict affected situations (CAS). Providing better access to basic services, social protection and support to livelihoods matters for the human welfare of people affected by conflict, the achievement of development targets, such as the MDGs, and international efforts at peace and state building.