Minister urges common platform to deal with IDPs

Rasika Somarathna

Colombo: Colombo-The Minister for Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe launching an international conference on protracted displacements due to conflict yesterday, emphasised the need to bring in all relevant national and international actors on a common policy platform to ensure consensus and a co-ordinated approach in finding durable solutions.

The three day National Consultation on the achievement of durable solutions for protracted displacement due to conflict began at the Continental hotel yesterday with the participation of local Authorities, UN agencies, NGO's and INGO's.

The joint effort by local Authorities and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is intended at finding lasting solutions under a National policy and action plan to address the question of long term internal displacement.

Minister Samarasinghe inaugurating the event re-emphasised that the Government is committed in ensuring a lasting resolution to the many-faceted problems faced by IDP's displaced due to the conflict.

He also added that the consultation was partly a follow-up to the visit to Sri Lanka by Prof.Walter Kaelin-the UN Secretary-General's Representative on the human rights of IDP's which was facilitated by the Ministry in December 2007.

"We need to ensure that the voices of the displaced are always heard.

The every day challenges they face, the concerns they raise have to be at the heart of any Government strategy to address the issue," the Minister said.

He also added that a consultation amongst protracted IDP's in six districts jointly conducted by the Human Rights Commission and the UNHCR would provide the impetus for deliberations.

In addition a census conducted by the Ministry of Nation Building and studies done by relevant GA's and and by NGO and INGO's would lend further credence in identifying the scope of the challenge and preferred durable solutions, the Minister added.

Delivering the keynote address on the occasion Prof.Walter Kaelin noted that he was very encouraged by the response of local Authorities in organizing this forum intended at finding durable solutions to protracted IDP' problems.

Prof.Kaelin also added that deliberations would target areas such as a common understanding on the scope of the problem, consensus on the key elements of the proposed action plan and the successful implementation in view of a durable solution.

Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Rishard Bathiudeen, UN Resident\Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Sri Lanka Neil Buhne, Director of Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, UNHCR Ms.Janet Lim also spoke on the occasion.

The three-day deliberations is to focus on discussing the challenges and obstacles faced by IDP's at length The proposed solutions in response to the identified challenges is to directly feed into ongoing initiatives.

This is expected to help in forming new strategies, strengthen present efforts with the ultimate goal being a national policy and action plan within the framework for durable solutions.