US offers funding to promote accountability

The United States has offered funds to organisations to conduct programs which will support promoting reconciliation and advancing transparency and accountability in Sri Lanka.

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour (DRL) at the US State Department said that approximately $750,000 will be made available for the project.

DRL’s goal is to facilitate cooperation across religious and ethnic lines to advance reconciliation so that all citizens of Sri Lanka can live with each other in peace. The bureau seeks proposals that will create opportunities for religious and ethnic groups to come together to promote reconciliation through cross-community communication and initiatives.

DRL said that program approaches should not be limited to dialogues; activities should include concrete actions to foster inter-community trust and collaboration. The use of traditional and alternative media to encourage collaboration among diverse communities could also be considered. Strong consideration will also be given to proposals that work to facilitate interaction among communities in the north/east and south.

DRL is also making available another $1,000,000 to programs which will help advance transparency and accountability and countering corruption.

The bureau’s objective is to strengthen the technical capacity of the Commission to Investigate Allegation of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) so that it can more effectively serve the citizens of Sri Lanka. 

The program approach should include working with CIABOC to enhance the documentation, processing, monitoring, and resolution of corruption and bribery cases, train staff on effective case management, and assist the Commission to educate government entities, civil society organizations, and the broader public about its work. Activities could include technical capacity building, awareness raising initiatives, as well as procurement of necessary software and equipment.

 For each program area, proposals that have at least an 18-month timeframe will be viewed more competitively.  (Colombo Gazette)