Good Practices and Lessons Learnt in Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Sri Lanka

When three decades of conflict ended in May 2009 in Sri Lanka, approximately 450,000 people had been displaced, with many having to rebuild their lives after having their houses destroyed, having lost family members and with no proper means of livelihood.

The Post-Conflict Reconstruction Programme in Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern Provinces implemented by UN-Habitat, provided numerous opportunities as well as challenges and proved to be a testing ground for many new strategies and technologies. The programme proved to be highly successful, completing the reconstruction of 31,350 homes and 520 infrastructure facilities and bringing fractured communities closer together.

This report looks closely at the three main elements that made the programme a success – the participation of people from the inception to the end, the diverse partnerships – donors, government, community based organizations that brought people together to implement the projects and the new and innovative technologies that were introduced to make the programme cost effective and sustainable.