Ambassadors and academics to discuss moving beyond conflict at the Sri Lanka Economic Summit

Three years after the end of the war, the Sri Lanka Economic Summit which is scheduled to be held from 10 to 12 July has dedicated one of its plenary sessions to discuss ‘Moving beyond conflict’. High Commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda Williams Nkurunziza and International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research Head Dr. Rohan Gunaratne will deliver the keynote addresses at the second session of the event focusing on this theme scheduled to be held on 11 July.  

The end of a long period of conflict brings forth many factors that need to be addressed. It ranges from rehabilitation of the people who were engaged in/affected by the conflict and providing them the facilities, mindset and training to get back to a normal life, engaging the security forces who were involved in defence in a productive and fruitful manner to responding to the opportunities to invest in the country by creating the necessary investor friendly environment. The multitude of issues that arise in a post conflict situation is not easy to manage and requires time. Failure to address these adequately and speedily can result in agitation from the public and drive away potential investors.

The Government has addressed many of the above issues to a great extent but some issues remain. The objective of this session is to listen to experts in the field and a number of Ambassadors from countries which have successfully emerged from conflict and moved beyond them towards sustainable peace and development. Deva Rodrigo, a Past Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce who has been member of the Peace and Reconciliation Committee will ascertain what lessons could be drawn from these countries and adopted in Sri Lanka. The session will be moderated by Harin Malwatte, Secretary General/CEO of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.