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| Saturday, 8 March 2003 |
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Sub-Committe on Gender issues Determind to include a gender perspective in peace process The Government and the LTTE representatives in the Sub Committee on Gender issues (SGI) said yesterday following their first meeting that they were "determined to include a gender perspective in the peace process". The two parties decided to focus on resettlement, personnel security, infrastructure and service,livelihood and employment, political representation, decision making and reconciliation in order to sustain the peace process. The SGI - agreed on by the Government and the LTTE in the Third round of peace talks in Oslo- met in Kilinochchi where the committee members acknowledged "the widespread and profound suffering of women as a consequence of the war". The SGI will formulate gender guidelines for the other sub committees and work closely with them, especially with the Sub Committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Needs (SIHRN) in order to accelerate the resettlement process in Jaffna and Mannar districts, a joint statement by the committee said. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 560,000 persons are still displaced plus 89,000 refugees in Tamil Nadu. War widows are estimated at 30,000, according to the Social Services Ministry. The SGI will report directly to the plenary session of the peace talks. It will support the SIHRN's project for the traumatised women in Kilinochchi and encourage the setting up of similar centres in other parts of the North-East. The secretariat of the sub committee will be set up in Kilinochchi and an office in Colombo. Dr. Kumari Jayawardene, Dr. Deepika Udagama, Dr. Fazeela M. Riya, Kumuduni Samuel and Faizun Zackariya represented the Government delegation. The members of the LTTE delegation are Thamilini Subramaniam, Kaaya Somasundram, Premila Somasundram, Suthamathy Sanmugaraja and Yalisai Balasingham. Prof. Astrid N.Heiberg, the former President of the International Red Cross is the facilitator. |
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