Focus on post-tsunami development at aid parley

by Manjula Fernando

One hundred and twelve foreign delegates representing bilateral and multilateral donor agencies and donor countries have confirmed their participation in the Sri Lanka Development Forum which will be inaugurated at the Earl's Regency Hotel, Kandy on Monday. All arrangements have been finalised for the parley.

"We expect to receive 120 confirmations by this evening," Finance Ministry sources told the Daily News yesterday morning.

The event, the first such full fledged Conference to be held in the country will see launching of the Millennium Development Goals Country Report 2005 by the National Council for Economic Development.

The last Sri Lanka Development forum was held in Tokyo in 2003.

Co-Chaired by the UN's Deputy Special Envoy for Tsunami Relief Erskine Bowles, this forum will focus upon 'post tsunami and post conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction'. This topic will be discussed during all sessions of the first day. Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation (TAFREN) Chairman Mano Tittawella will present the needs assessment and the reconstruction strategy on behalf of the Government for donor sponsoring.

Among the other themes are proposals for reforms for high growth and poverty alleviation, monitoring, implementation and governance.

At the end of the two day deliberations, the development partners and the Government will jointly release the Kandy declaration, outlining the outcome of the donor forum that will also pay special attention to peace initiatives of the government. Peace Secretariat Director General Jayantha Dhanapala will give an update on the "Peace Process and the Way Forward" while Japanese Special envoy Yasushi Akashi who arrived in the country yesterday will also address the delegates at the closing session.

The Treasury's Finance and Planning Division which has organised the donor forum expects over 175 foreign and local delegates including members of Trade Unions and NGOs at the conference.

Special media conferences have been arranged on the evenings of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to keep the media updated on the progress and day's outcome. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama and Vice President of the World Bank Praful Patel on behalf of the development partners will preside over the inauguration.