Government to submit National Action Plan to UN

The government would submit the National Action Plan listing the implementations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission to the United Nations within the next two or three days.

This was stated by the Minister of External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris addressing a joint news conference at the External Affairs Ministry auditorium on 26th.

Giving details of work already carried out relating to LLRC recommendations, the Minister said that 98 per cent work connected to Internally Displaced Persons has been completed., they have not only been resettled, but access to livelihood has also been provided.  Ninety per cent work related to the ex-combatants has been completed and it is the firm resolve of the government to reintegrate them into society.  He said that demining the Nothern and Eastern Provinces has almost been completed while the High Security Zones have been removed, except for one in Palaly.

The Minister pointed that Sri Lanka has resettled as many as 297,000 IDPs within a short period of time whereas in other parts of the world similar exercises had taken several decades.

The Secretary to the President Mr. Lalith Weeratunge addressing a media conference said that a National Action Plan has been drawn up detailing the institutions to implement the relevant recommendations, a main task index and a timeframe to implement various tasks.  He said that the LLRC handed over its report with 285 recommendations and a large number of sub recommendations to the President in November 2011. These recommendations categorized into four main groups are to be implemented on long, medium and short term basis.

Mr. Weeratunge said that the recommendations relating to National Policy, the final phase of the conflict, human rights and National security concerns, and resettlement and development, are the four main categories. They cover the international humanitarian issues, human rights, land return and resettlement, restitution and compensatory relief, and reconciliation.

The President’s Secretary informed that the Cabinet has decided that the General Treasury will provide the funds required for the implementation of the Action Plan, depending on the requirement and within the stipulated time frame. Funds for the purpose from 2013 onwards too will be provided by the General Treasury to the respective Institutions.

He said that some of the recommendations will be implemented this year while the others may be implemented next year after the budget for 2013 is prepared as the 2012 budget allocations to the ministries have been done before the release of the LLRC report last year.

Mr. Weeratunga also said that the government would establish the Fourth Land Commission in accordance with the recommendations of the LLRC which had proposed the establishment of a new Land Commission to deal with the land issues in the North and the East.

Explaining further about the National Action Plan, Mr. Weeratunge said that every recommendation has one or more corresponding activity, and for each activity there is a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) and key responsible agencies. A time frame is also given for the completion of each activity. He said that some recommendations also entail activities that run up to three years, and separate budget lines to undertake tasks that fall under the National Action Plan will be considered when presenting the 2013 budget.  He said that the LLRC report will be translated into Sinhala and Tamil and launched next week.

 

Courtesy: Government News Portal