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The World Bank Colombo office will present its publication - Sri Lanka Country Assistance Strategy at a media conference today. Peter Harrold, Country Director, World Bank Colombo Office and Deborah A. Bateman Country Coordinator World Bank will be present on the occasion.

The Sri Lanka Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) outlines a program which includes US$800 million of new assistance, in the form of grants and interest free loans from the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) over the next four years. This amount is significantly higher than IDA lending to Sri Lanka over the last five years which averaged about US$60 million per year.

The CAS is organised around three central themes: Peace, Growth and Equity. It identifies peace and restoration of domestic security as the basis for the future of the Sri Lankan economy, stating that "without peace, there is no prospect for development." The strategy builds upon work the Bank is already doing to support resettlement and revival of livelihoods in the North and East of the country, through restoration of health services, irrigation, and water supply, as well as payments to displaced people who are returning home.

To support short-term increased assistance by international donors for Sri Lanka's reconstruction and rehabilitation, the Bank will act as administrator of a North East Reconstruction Fund (NERF), the World Bank said in a statement.

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