Mission to Sri Lanka with a view to Develop Best Practices in Response to Internal Displacement , UNICEF New York

Although the Tamil minority and the Sinhalese majority in Sri Lanka have occupied the Island in mainly harmonious cohabitation, periodic tension dates back two thousand years. Since 1983, the current conflict has caused some 50,000 casualties, both among the civilian population and the fighters. The conflict is centered in the northern and eastern parts of the Island, although military presence in the rest of the country is strong and sporadic violence occurs outside the north and east.

The conflict in Sri Lanka has spawned large-scale displacement, resulting in large numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs), and a smaller number of refugees. National authorities and international organizations have had to address mass displacement, multiple displacements, long-term displacement, attacks on displaced and returnee communities, militarization of much of the island, shifting battle fronts, large-scale voluntary return, and multiple other assistance and protection issues in their attempts to meet the needs of displaced communities. The level of complexity of the internal displacement impelled a visit to Sir Lanka in 1993 by the Representative of the Secretary-General on Internal Displacement, Dr. Francis Deng. A large number of UN agencies, donor governments, NGOs and other international organizations have been actively engaged on behalf of IDPs in Sri Lanka.

In terms of the size of the displaced population the statistics vary greatly. Government statistics set the number of currently displaced at some 800,000, while international organizations set the number somewhat lower. Regardless of numbers, the fact remains that people have been displaced and severely traumatized by the armed conflict -- some people have been displaced up to 3 or 4 times. It is clear that each time, coping mechanisms and what suffering human beings can endure are pushed to their limits.

In speaking to the displaced population, it was mentioned over and over again, that their first priority would be to find peace, then all other problems would be solved. But it has been hard to bring the parties to the negotiating table, and there are few points of common interest on the two sides of the conflict. However, one commentator stated that the only thing the two sides still have a common interest in is the future of their children. With this as the starting point, UNICEF’s concern for children is also a contribution to eventual peace.

1.2. Situation of Children

Considering the fact that the armed conflict in Sri Lanka has been going on for some 15 years, it is evident that the children have been severely affected. There is hardly any child in the affected areas who has been able to "live a child's life". One can truly talk of a lost childhood. To put it somewhat bluntly, there is no right of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) that is not at stake. However, one could try to establish which right, at the moment, would be the most important to address. It appears that it comes down to the most basic level of guaranteeing a child's right to life, survival and development, as well as the right to social reintegration and psychosocial recovery.

Adopting a child rights based approach to programming in situations of armed conflict means looking at the situation of children through the lens of the CRC. In delivering services, this means responding to the needs of children. But the rights-based approach also mean taking on a protection role on behalf of children, and this role must start with continuous presence in the field. The UNICEF office in Sri Lanka has clearly understood this challenge. Currently, field staff are present in the Jaffna Peninsula, a center of resettlement activity, and in the north-central Wanni region, where much of the current fighting is taking place. Colombo headquarters staff also regularly monitor IDP situations and programs in the "border areas" near the military front lines, and two UNVs are being recruited for other conflict affected areas. The protection focus is one of monitoring the implementation of the CRC and the agreements reached by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, Mr. Olara Otunnu during his 1998 visit to Sri Lanka, as well as advocating for the rights of children. The balance between relief and protection is well struck.

The UNICEF programme promotes child survival, development and protection, and strengthens local capacity to deliver services to some 250,000 women and children in the North and East. The programme is targeted to help some of the most vulnerable of approximately 200,000 displaced families.

1.3. The Mission to Sri Lanka

Because of the large scale of internal displacement in Sri Lanka, the multi-faced nature of displacement, the duration of the conflict, the active role of the government of Sri Lanka in addressing internal displacement, the range of protection and assistance issues, and the substantial presence of international organizations working with the IDPs, UNICEF’s Office of Emergency Programmes initiated a study mission to Sri Lanka in August, 1998. The mission reflects the interest within UNICEF, and throughout the UN system and broader international community, in better understanding conditions facing IDPs and in noting innovative program initiatives.

The Mission to Sri Lanka was carried out by James Kunder, IDP Consultant, and Bo Viktor Nylund, Project Officer/Humanitarian Principles, both working for the Office of Emergency Programmes in UNICEF, New York. It was carried out with two particular aims in mind: First, to review UNICEF=s response to and focus on internal displacement in Sri Lanka and to distill best practices for possible use in other situations. Second, to review the programmes of other UN agencies, NGOs and the government, and to distil best practices to benefit the work of the United Nations as a whole through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) working group on IDPs.

The mission visited several conflict-affected regions of Sri Lanka and met a wide representation of displaced and organizations working with them (a complete itinerary and list of interviewees is attached). The findings of the mission follow. These findings are noted in brief form, to facilitate the conveyance of large amount of information in a readable format.

First, useful programme initiatives, or "best practices", noted within the UNICEF-assisted programme are briefly noted. For many of the programmes the government or NGOs are the actual actors, and sometimes even take the initiative for a certain activity. These programme initiatives are intended to inform UNICEF practice in other country situations where internal displacement is found, and to be shared with programme partners also working with displaced children, women, families and communities. It should be noted that the "best practices" exercise has not evaluated the programmes for impact, but they have been identified because of taking into account the needs of internally displaced children and women.

Second, useful program initiatives by sister agencies, other international organizations, government or NGOs are briefly noted. It is the hope of the mission that these initiatives will help inform UNICEF managers dealing with internal displacement. These "best practices" will also be submitted as part of the work being undertaken by the Interagency standing Committee working group on IDPs to document good practice vis-à-vis internal displacement.

Third, the mission noted, based on the comments of those working in Sri Lanka, several important issues facing the international community as it attempts to meet the needs of IDPs. Although a short visit did not permit the drafting of detailed recommendations for action, the mission thought it would be important to identify these outstanding issues for further consideration by those in the international community focused on internal displacement. It should be noted as a positive aspect of the humanitarian efforts in Sri Lanka that the government is very active in responding to its responsibilities in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law, and that the government is, in fact, distributing some humanitarian assistance to the victims of war.

The mission appreciates the efforts of all those who assisted with the trip to Sri Lanka, and all those interlocutors who shared willingly of their time and expertise. Much is being accomplished – by IDPs, and with IDPs – in Sri Lanka; much more, the mission believes, might be accomplished. Sri Lanka provides, moreover, a rich source of information of all those seeking to improve the international response to internal displacement.

With the above aims in mind the bulk of the report seeks to present UNICEF initiatives meeting the needs of IDPs or "best practices", and practices developed by other actors in Sri Lanka. While the scope of the study did not allow for an in-depth analysis of the impact of each initative, we have attempted to indicate to which extent the practices developed have had an impact (i.e. how large a part of the IDP children/population in that area was reached) simply by noting "small", "medium" or "great impact" at the end of each section. This may give the reader some idea of how well spread the practice is. The final section raises issues that the international community is currently facing in Sri Lanka.

2. UNICEF "Best Practices" Meeting the Needs of IDPs

2.1. Activities with a Direct or Indirect Protection Impact

"Days of tranquility": UNICEF has negotiated, for the past four years, annual "days of tranquility" -- several days when the guns fall silent on all sides -- for nation-wide immunization campaigns in Sri Lanka. These efforts, requiring complex negotiations with all parties to the conflict, have maintained high levels of coverage for vaccine-preventable diseases in Sri Lanka, despite the long conflict and shifting conflict zones. (Great impact.)

Program interventions to prevent further displacement: In many "border areas", like northern Anuradapura District, Sri Lankan families living close to conflict zones face daily security concerns from regular and irregular armed forces. These families face difficult choices about whether to join the ranks of the displaced or, as they strongly prefer, remain on their own land. UNICEF's willingness to support health and education programs in these border areas, and even the temporary presence of UNICEF staff, are widely cited as supporting the voluntary choice of many families to remain in their communities. (Medium impact.)

Supporting user-friendly mine awareness training: IDPs in general and displaced children in particular are vulnerable to the land mines that are a regular feature of the conflict in Sri Lanka. Displaced communities, for example, may find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings with little knowledge of where mines have been placed, and the limited resources available in IDP "welfare centers" may require a widespread exploration of new terrain for water, firewood, or sanitary facilities. Many IDPs must cross active conflict zones in attempts to reach their former properties, either to assess conditions or retrieve resources. In recognition of these realities, UNICEF has mounted a cost-effective landmine awareness campaign in Sri Lanka. Particularly useful to isolated IDP communities, the campaign includes the use of portable flip charts and other transportable instructional material that can be taken to displacement areas to reach large numbers of IDPs. (Great impact.)

2.2. Activities Related to Basic Needs Other than Protection

Advocating for the displaced child's right to education: Displaced and returnee children attempting to re-enter school, often in environments where crowded facilities and teacher shortages are the norm, can face serious barriers to enrolment. Lack of school uniforms, lack of fees, registration or documentation issues, malnourishment, stigmatization, and resistance by local communities already facing shortages all lessen the likelihood that displaced children will continue their education. UNICEF and program partners in Sri Lanka have advocated vigorously -- and designed program interventions -- to break down barriers to education for displaced children. For example, advocacy led to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Education issuing a national circular aimed at lifting registration barriers, and UNICEF has financially supported training for teachers in the special needs of children who have lost several years of education during their displacement. (Medium impact.)

Remembering education for IDP children: Returning to regular school activities benefits displaced and returnee children both by improving their future prospects and bringing a sense of normal life. Yet, education activities for IDP communities are often given relatively little attention, as resource constrained international organizations focus on sectoral activities perceived to meet more fundamental needs. In Sri Lanka, where regular school attendance is a high priority for families and children, UNICEF has supported a broad range of program efforts -- training material, teacher recruitment, school supplies, and others -- to maximize the number or displaced and returnee children who return to classrooms as quickly as possible. (Medium impact.)

Training teachers in conflict resolution skills: As the Secretary-General=s Representative on Internal Displacement noted during his trip to Sri Lanka in 1993, the long-term well being of displaced communities will be most assisted by an end to armed conflict in Sri Lanka. UNICEF is contributing to that durable solution to internal displacement by supporting programs to train Sri Lankan teachers in conflict resolution skills. (Small impact.)

Meeting the psycho-social needs of children through teacher training: Given the importance of formal education in Sri Lanka, enrolling displaced and returnee children in classes is a high priority for IDP families. UNICEF Sri Lanka has recognized that many of these re-enrolled students are still deeply affected by the conflict, and that teachers are in a unique position to observe students facing adjustment difficulties. UNICEF has initiated training programs for primary school teachers to help recognize signs of psycho-social needs in IDP children, and to guide appropriate interventions or referrals. (Medium impact.)

Meeting the psycho-social needs of children through community programs: Many Sri Lankan children, both the displaced and recent returnees, have experienced the trauma and disruption of war. These children may face problems readjusting to their new environment, to altered family and community life, and to school. In the Jaffna Peninsula and elsewhere in Sri Lanka, UNICEF supports community based programs to provide "drop-in" centers for war-affected children where normal play and artistic activities are encouraged in a calm, supportive atmosphere, reintroducing the children to normal childhood activities. (Small impact.)

Supporting efforts to end the isolation of IDP children: Prior to the conflict, Sri Lankan children attained relatively high levels of literacy and formal schooling, as well as access to mass media. However, the duration of the conflict -- now well over a decade -- the displacement of many families to remote locations such as the Wanni, and the poverty of most displaced families, have led to an entire generation of displaced children growing up in relative isolation from modern life. Informants noted, for example, that many children interviewed in one sample were no longer able to identify a train. UNICEF has supported creative efforts, ranging from local field trips to a mobile video facility that visits displaced camps, to lessen the isolation of IDP children. (Small impact.)

Plugging gaps in health care coverage, with a developmental perspective: The displacement of health care workers themselves and continued security concerns have caused shortages of trained health personnel in areas with large concentrations of IDPs and returnees. UNICEF has supported programs to train temporary health care workers to plug the gaps in the health care system, workers who often provide the only available care to displaced children. So that this training effort will not be lost with the return of regular staffing, UNICEF has advocated for the inclusion of qualified temporary staff in post-conflict plans of the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health. (Small impact.)

Health care outreach to IDPs: The deterioration of the health infrastructure in conflict zones, the wide dispersion of the displaced, and concerns with security and transportation make it difficult for IDPs in Sri Lanka to access adequate health care. UNICEF and program partners have addressed this complex problem in part by supporting mobile health clinics that travel to areas where the displaced are concentrated, to provide basic diagnostic and curative services, and referrals. (Medium impact as far as children in inaccessible areas are concerned.)

2.3. Activities in the field of advocacy

Advocacy for children as a "zone of peace": That children should be considered a "zone of peace" is a widely accepted belief. UNICEF in Sri Lanka has done a great deal to operationalize the concept that was one of the core recommendations for follow-up in the Graca Machel study through the creation of a national advocacy campaign -- printed material, mass media advertisements, training, conferences -- that has attained wide national recognition. It should be noted here that this activity is separate from the promotion of "days of tranquility", as advocacy for children as a zone of peace seeks to use children as an instrument in the peace process itself. (Potentially great impact.)

UNICEF can assist IDP children by encouraging agencies to examine children's issues within their respective mandates: UNICEF, in its discussions with other agencies and NGOs, has reached agreements that other organizations, too, should include in their monitoring activities the rights covered by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is only one example, of how UNICEF has involved other organizations in improving the situation of displaced children, as UNICEF alone does not have the resources to respond to all the needs. Resources well spent are, therefore, necessarily focused on initiating and coordinating activities by other actors. (Potentially great impact.)

3. Best Practices Developed and/or Supported by Organizations Other than UNICEF:

3.1. Activities with a Direct or Indirect Protection Impact

Negotiations with opposition groups can gain important protection for IDPs: In situations of internal displacement, negotiations with opposition groups which control portions of national territory will always be sensitive. Nonetheless, active engagement with the opposition by international organizations operating in Sri Lanka expanded substantially the protection available to the internally displaced. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, during a 1998 visit to Sri Lanka, sought and achieved a number of commitments from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) regarding children's rights. These commitments included limitations on recruitment of children, and an agreement to train fighters in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The ICRC sought and achieved commitments from the LTTE on adherence to key portions of the Geneva Conventions. The challenge now is to implement these commitments on both sides. (Great impact.)

Appropriately configuring program delivery can enhance protection for IDPs: UNHCR has packaged its IDP assistance activities in parts of Sri Lanka to create the model of the "open relief center" (ORC) or "area of relative safety." At the Madhuu ORC, although UNHCR does not operate this site of several thousand displaced families as a camp, it does maintain a full-time presence in the center with international staff, flies the UN flag, and works diligently with authorities to maintain a strictly demilitarized environment. Displaced residents of the center feel added security because of the UNHCR presence at Madhu. The fact that Madhu is a recognized shirine and that the camphas the protection of both the church and the UNHCR certainly have been instrumental in the reputation of the ORC as a "safe area". (Great impact for the people in the Madhu area.)

Inventive approaches can assist IDPs with important documents: The loss of important documents can be one of the most damaging results of displacement. Absent a birth certificate, identity document, school registration form or other important papers, IDPs may face discrimination, loss of citizenship rights, suspicion, limited employment opportunities, loss of inheritance or other consequences. In Sri Lanka, after studies indicated many children were without birth certificates, Save the Children Fund undertook a creative remedy. SCF advocated with government authorities for the deployment of "mobile registration clinics" to IDP centers. These mobile clinics are intended to provide IDP children with at least basic identity documents on which school registration and other important activities are based. (Medium impact.)

Tracing activities can adjust to the realities of internal displacement: IDPs, especially those living near their original communities, may attempt to visit their homes periodically to assess conditions, make repairs, work fields, or salvage important items. In Sri Lanka, the presence of landmines, shifting front lines, and military fears of infiltration sometimes lead to the disappearance of IDPs on such visits. In the Wanni region, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has initiated tracing activities for IDPs missing on visits to their homes. Other international organizations operating there collaboratively refer inquiries to the ICRC. The establishment of such tracing programs attempts to deal realistically with conditions confronting the displaced. (Small impact.)

Rapid international response while IDPs are fleeing can ameliorate conditions of displacement: Following a major military offensive, IDPs from the Kilinochche District of Sri Lanka fled westward to the "open relief center" at Mahdu. Fearing overcrowding of facilities at Mahdu, UNHCR staff responded rapidly, meeting groups of IDPs en route and assessing their security and humanitarian needs. After determining that IDPs were secure in their current location, UNHCR provided program services in situ. This response avoided overcrowding, allowed IDPs to settle where more land was available, and supported IDP settlement closer to their homes, to facilitate visits and potential return. (Medium impact.)

3.2. Activities Related to Basic Needs Other than Protection

Creating employment opportunities for the IDPs can address immediate needs for local communities: In many parts of Sri Lanka, UNHCR has implemented "micro-projects" to provide employment opportunities for the displaced, often in partnership with NGOs like CARE. These activities can be linked with activities stabilizing the possiblity for puopulations to remain or assist in their early return. For example, many micro-projects are designed to restore or rehabilitate the many irrigation "tanks" that dot the Sri Lankan landscape, work that will contribute to future agricultural productivity. Micro-projects are an important part of remaining in close contact with the local population and involving the beneficiaries in a participatory approach. (Small impact.)

Micro-credit programs can be extended to the displaced community: CARE, with UNHCR funding, has designed small-scale loan programs for IDPs in Sri Lanka's Wanni region to encourage economic activity. Despite great poverty, limited familiarity by IDPs with the local economy, and even multiple displacements, CARE reports a high rate of loan repayment. The loan program is structured to favor single heads-of-household, especially war widows. (Small impact.)

Creative application of national standards can direct resources to the internally displaced: Many IDPs in Sri Lanka were displaced to remote and/or marginally secure regions of the country, making the recruitment of teachers to overcrowded schools in those regions a difficult process. The Ministry of Education (MOE), which administers the national teacher qualifying exam and manages teacher transfers, waived the teacher exam qualifying score for those applicants willing to teach in schools with large numbers of IDP students. Applicants scoring just beneath the normal qualifying mark were accepted as teachers, provided they agreed to work in these hardship posts for a specified period, thereby expanding educational opportunities for displaced children.

The Ministry of Education also took steps to encourage volunteer teachers to work with IDP children. A number of international and Sri Lankan organizations instituted volunteer teacher programs, sometimes recruiting among IDPs themselves, to fill gaps in teacher rosters in overcrowded schools. Although these volunteer programs were useful, they were plagued with high turnover, since volunteers received neither pay nor official standing as educators. The MOE helped with this situation by awarding "bonus points" to any volunteer teacher who subsequently applied for a regular teaching job, increasing the chances that volunteers would gain full-time employment as teachers. (Small impact.)

Government initiatives can open educational opportunities for more displaced children: School admissions, even for primary school, are carefully regulated in Sri Lanka through residency requirements and requirements for documentation. Many internally displaced children, especially those who endured multiple displacements or those who had to flee quickly without important papers, subsequently faced barriers to school enrolment, either during displacement or upon return to their homes. Recognizing this widespread problem, the Government of Sri Lanka issued a nation-wide circular easing administrative requirements for admission. Although not implemented perfectly, the government initiative created an enabling environment for efforts to enroll displaced children in school. (Medium impact.)

Careful targeting of economic sectors can improve IDP incomes and stimulate reconstruction: Fishing is a major economic activity in Sri Lanka, as well as an important source of protein in the diet of most citizens. Large-scale population movement, destruction of equipment including nets and boats, on-going security concerns in coastal regions, and disruption of markets have all contributed to a reduced catch, however, decreasing access to seafood, especially by the displaced. International organizations working with IDPs in Sri Lanka, based on careful analysis of important business sectors, have supported a number of activities to stimulate fishing. UNDP, for example, is constructing markets in coastal areas of the Jaffna Peninsula as part of its reconstruction program. (Small impact.)

Local recruitment and training of health professionals can be essential in conflict environments: In Sri Lanka, the long internal conflict and related displacement of more than 1 million people created severe shortages of important health personnel. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) documented more that 700 vacant midwife positions in the northeastern part of the country, where fighting was heaviest, resulting in increased morbidity and suffering among IDPs and other conflict-affected populations. Moreover, ethnic sensitivities and practical transport issues rendered impractical the previous system of centralized training for replacement midwifes. WHO took steps to remedy the shortage by advocating with the government for local recruitment of midwives, and local training in the local language, in the affected northeastern regions. WHO's efforts resulted in the filling of many vacant positions. (Small impact.)

Imaginative use of relief food resources can multiply benefits for displaced communities: In Sri Lanka, the World Food Program (WFP) provides dry ration food assistance to internally displaced persons living in camps in government controlled territory. In order to maximize the impact of the food assistance provided, WFP undertook an imaginative program to stimulate economic activity within the IDP community. The bags and containers in which the food comes were collected and sold, and the money used for interest-free loans for small income generating projects. (Small impact.)

3.3. Activities in the Field of Advocacy

Agencies can take seriously the responsibility to understand IDP priorities: Several international organizations working with the displaced in Sri Lanka completed detailed surveys of IDP attitudes, to help structure program interventions. Save the Children Fund and OXFAM, working in conjunction, completed three annual, in-depth surveys of IDP perspectives, including the perspectives of IDP children. The ICRC completed a dwelling-by-dwelling visit of each IDP family benefiting from its programs. These agencies report that insights gained from the studies greatly benefited program design, as well as their understanding of the displaced community. (Potentially great impact.)

Advocacy for access to land benefits IDPs communities: Few IDPs in Sri Lanka, despite their primarily agricultural backgrounds, have access to garden plots. Space considerations within displaced camps and ownership patterns outside restrict IDPs= ability to supplement their livelihoods by growing consumables or cash crops. CARE reports that its office in the Wanni region of Sri Lanka successfully advocated with local authorities to allow IDP access to fallow agricultural lands within walking distance from their settlement. Access to garden plots both increased income and gave a sense of normalcy to IDPs. CARE provided first-year agricultural inputs to jumpstart the garden initiative. (Small impact.)

Assisting IDPs to assess conditions in home communities is an important activity: IDPs are often eager to ascertain conditions in their home communities. Accurate information on security and other matters is essential to voluntary decisions on whether or not to attempt return. Yet, IDPs may lack access to home regions, either because of security concerns or inadequate transportation. In Sri Lanka's Puttalam area, the government sponsored bus trips by leaders of the displaced community to home areas in Mannar District, permitting free access in Mannar to information sources chosen by the IDPs. Such visits, which the international community should consider supporting, empower internally displaced communities with information essential to critical decisions they face. (Small impact.)

4. Major IDP Issues Facing the International Community in Sri Lanka

Cuts in food supplies to the internally displaced: What is the appropriate role for the international community? A unique aspect of the conflict in Sri Lanka, widely noted, is the active role of the Sri Lankan government (SLG) in maintaining government structures and services, including programs for IDPs, on both sides of the conflict lines. For example, SLG food rations, at varying levels of adequacy, are distributed to IDP communities in the Wanni, an area effectively under the control of the LTTE. The maintenance of cross-line programs for IDPs is noteworthy, and seemingly reflects the government's willingness to accept full responsibility for its displaced citizens -- an objective of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.

The level of government food rations to IDPs in LTTE-controlled areas has fluctuated over the years, with a significant cut announced just prior to the visit of the UNICEF mission to Sri Lanka. After the mission, food cuts were restored to pre-cut levels for all districts except areas directly under LTTE-control. A wide range of factors -- budgetary constraints, disputes over the size of the beneficiary population, concerns about diversion of food supplies to combatants, efforts to stimulate or constrain IDP return -- likely affects the level of food shipments. The recently announced cuts may hurt IDP communities who are already heavily dependent on food rations. They have already stimulated public demonstrations at the offices of international organizations in the Wanni, demonstrations seemingly encouraged by the LTTE

The international community faces a difficult, and significant, choice concerning what steps it should take in response to SLG food cuts to IDPs. That complex choice requires the most careful analysis since it goes to the heart of the very large question about the authority of sovereign governments and the responsibility of the international community to human beings in need. On one hand, it can be argued that the SLG is essentially fulfilling its responsibilities to its citizens, displaced or otherwise, and that the issue of precise levels of assistance -- especially in a highly sensitive, conflictive environment where charges and countercharges over food policies are to be expected -- is an internal matter. On the other hand, if careful analysis of the situation suggests to the international community that the decision to cut food shipments will result in widespread suffering among displaced populations, how can it persuade the government to reverse its decision? Should international organizations themselves consider how they can meet food needs? What cost are international organizations willing to pay, including political costs, to ensure adequate food supplies to displaced communities?

The international community is seriously considering these issues, and exploring alternatives. It may be possible, for example, to achieve adequate nutritional levels in the Wanni either through targeted feeding programs for vulnerable groups (supplementing general distribution of dry rations), or through better, impartial surveys of actual levels of need. Two points, however, seem clear: first, the needs of the internally displaced and their rights deserve rightful consideration along with other government and opposition priorities; second, although each national context has its unique features, international organizations should recognize the precedent-setting implications of its decisions for future cases where the needs of internally displaced persons must be valued in the context of complex political, military and developmental issues.

Restrictions on medical shipments and other supplies to "uncleared areas": What is the role of the international community vis-a-vis military restrictions? Medical supplies and other relief shipments to areas of Sri Lanka not under government control, the so-called "uncleared areas", are subject to rigorous review by SLG military authorities. This review is consistent with the government's position, outlined above, that it is fully responsible for all areas and citizens of Sri Lanka, regardless of the current conflict situation. However, this rigorous military review and refusals to permit shipment of certain items, results in important relief shipments funded by the international community being delayed or not reaching displaced populations in need.

The impact of the restrictions on medical supplies can clearly be seen on the ground. For example, fear for the upcoming rainy season and the malaria epidemics that follow, were most imminent in the "uncleared areas". But also chlorine used to purify water is restricted, which has had serious impact on the health situation in some areas. Both UN Agencies and NGOs operating in these areas, as well as local government authorities, face considerable constraints when bringing in medical shipments and other supplies. A more coordinated and systematic survey of the impact of the restrictions, together with a focused advocacy strategy, may be one way to approach this situation. Or could it perhaps be possible to expand the notion of "days of tranquility", so that they could cover also medical supplies other than vaccinations, in particular for children?

Addressing restrictions on the travel of local-hire staff of international organizations: Shortly before the arrival of the mission to Sri Lanka, international organizations working in the Wanni received indications from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that Sri Lankan staff of international organizations would not be permitted to enter the Wanni for program work. At the time the mission departed, international organizations were assessing the implications of these announced restrictions.

Without the participation of Sri Lankan staff from Colombo and other sites outside the Wanni, international organizations will face severe practical constraints on their abilities to accomplish program objectives. The Sri Lankan staff of international organizations provide key technical expertise in health, education, sanitation and other sectors, as well as important assessment and communication assets, all of which benefit IDPs living in the Wanni.

Moreover, attempts to impose staffing restrictions on international organizations set a dangerous precedent. Such restrictions violate the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement guarantees to humanitarian access. More generally, they begin to narrow the "humanitarian space" so critical to reaching those most in need during armed conflict.

The international community should carefully assess the implications of staff restrictions demanded by any party to the conflict, examine the precedent-setting implications of such restrictions, consider the possible impact of allowing or being blamed of taking part in such discriminatory activities, and resist unwarranted limitations on purely humanitarian efforts.

Voluntary return: Should there be a more active international role? Large numbers of internally displaced in Sri Lanka have been and are returning to their homes, especially to the Jaffna Peninsula. The SLG maintains a number of programs to assist returnees with transportation and resettlement allowances.

It seems clear, however, that a large number of IDPs ready to return to their homes are prevented from returning because of transport bottlenecks, limited family resources, or discouragement from authorities. In many cases, IDPs remaining in Welfare Centers are likely to be among the poorest of IDPs, having exhausted resources during a long displacement, and may be least likely to initiate voluntary return.

In these circumstances B when security situations warrant return, and the desire to return is purely voluntary B there may be a greater role for the international community in facilitating return and resettlement in Sri Lanka. Despite the complexity and political sensitivity of this issue, the fact remains that there are many IDPs who wish to leave the Wanni, for example, and return to their homes, but who remain in deplorable conditions, essentially trapped between the military fronts. At a minimum, the situation might be improved by a comprehensive analysis of constraints to return, undertaken by the international community, an analysis that could serve as the basis for next steps.

Access to land during the period of displacement; a widespread concern: In virtually every site visited by the mission, the displaced voiced concern about not having access to land for agricultural purposes. For an IDP population previously engaged primarily in agriculture, access to a plot for the production of vegetables or modest cash crops is a priority. Yet, despite some exceptions, most temporary sites accommodating IDPs in Sri Lanka make no provision for small agricultural plots, neither within the boundaries of the settlement nor in surrounding lands.

Recognizing the value to IDPs of garden plots, both to supplement incomes and to maintain a sense of normalcy, isolated attempts have been undertaken by international organizations to advocate for access to land. In general, agricultural land appears to be availability in the vicinity of displaced camps, although advocacy to overcome government concern about permanent settlements and to ensure stable relations with local landowners would be required. A more systematic effort to ensure the availability of garden plots for displaced families would yield a high return.

Expanding education to permit vocational training for the displaced: The international community working with the displaced in Sri Lanka has recognized the importance of formal education for displaced children, and devoted resources to schooling. Additional focus, however, could be brought to the need for vocational training.

Displaced adults in Sri Lanka, including many who have been displaced for the better part of a decade, face limited opportunities to obtain employment to supplement relief allotments. Given their agricultural backgrounds and limited access to land, the majority can aspire only to day labor employment, which is in short supply, seasonal, and not well compensated. Moreover, many IDPs B because their home villages have been incorporated into security zones, because markets have been disrupted by the conflict, or because of military limitations on activities like fishing B may be unable to earn a decent living in their previous occupations once they return.

Vocational training opportunities for the displaced, under these circumstances, could be useful interventions. Such training would have to surmount military suspicions that certain occupations might contribute to security concerns. On the other hand, even modest vocational training, if well designed, would impart a sense of normalcy in displaced centers, open opportunities to supplement often-meager rations, and prepare displaced communities for return and reintegration.

Military checkpoints and program access; room for additional advocacy: In Jaffna, the mission encountered a promising community program to assist war-affected children to return to normal childhood activities. A major constraint facing the program, according to its sponsors, is the difficulty faced by children in accessing the program site, an old warehouse building. Reaching the site means running a daily gauntlet of military checkpoints, each of which reminds the children that their lives have not returned to normal.

That situation in Jaffna can be viewed as a microcosm of conditions throughout Sri Lanka. Military authorities, legitimately concerned with security incidents, have covered many areas with a web of checkpoints and other security mechanisms that severely restrict normal activities, including relief and rehabilitation programs. A focus on these constraints, mechanisms to deal with such constraints and, when necessary, coordinated advocacy to overcome them would be useful contributions by the international community.

Gender issues facing the internally displaced in Sri Lanka require attention: Many organizations working in Sri Lanka called the attention of the mission to women's issues and gender issues facing IDPs. For example, the shortage of trained midwives, in particular, and reproductive health care facilities, in general, cause unnecessary morbidity and suffering among the displaced. The situation faced by a large number of widows and widowers, attempting to raise families alone in an environment characterized by shortages, is another cause for concern.

The mission encountered a number of programs attempting to assess and meet these gender-related needs of the IDP community. Additional study of gender issues in displacement and a more focused response would be valuable.

Obstacles to school attendance by the displaced: As noted above, displaced children in Sri Lanka face obstacles in enrolling in local schools, while they are displaced and upon return. These obstacles can include lack of standard school uniforms, lack of registration or identity documents, shortage of tuition fees and other limitations. As noted earlier, many organizations have taken steps to address these roadblocks, and the SLG has issued a circular seeking to overcome local barriers to enrolment.

Despite these noteworthy efforts by the SLG, international and local organizations, and displaced communities themselves, it is clear that many displaced children are not attended school because of correctable administrative and uniform issues. Obstacles to school attendance, in many cases, appear to be caused by local interpretations of government guidance or by local decisions on school entrance requirements. A systematic study of the constraints on school attendance for IDP children and coordinated advocacy to overcome constraints is still needed.

Fishing and military security; is there room for improvement? An island nation, Sri Lanka has traditionally depended on coastal fishing as an important economic activity and an essential, low cost source of protein. However, aspects of the military conflict have impelled government authorities to limit severely the range of coastal fishing activities. The reduced catch, and associated higher prices, disproportionately hurt the poorest, including IDPs. Moreover, restrictions on fishing limit economic opportunities available to returnees to coastal areas, who face additional barriers to reconstruction.

Given the sensitive nature of the military concerns, and the fact that the struggle in Sri Lanka has been characterized by ship-borne and amphibious military operations, engaging authorities on the topic of increased fishing is obviously a delicate matter. There may be room, though, for creative analysis of how legitimate military concerns can be balanced with nutritional and developmental needs of war-affected populations.

UNICEF Office of Emergency Operation
New York, 11 September 1998

Persons and Places Visited

17.08.98 COLOMBO

UNICEF:

Mr. J Mahase, Officer-in-Charge
Mrs. M Hassim, Operations Officer
Mr. I A Hameed, Project Officer, Children Affected by Armed Conflict
Mr. R Bortralahy, Project Officer, Children Affected by Armed Conflict
Dr. H Wijemanne, Programme Officer, Health
Dr. N Nyunt Yi, Programme Officer, Nutrition

Government:

Dr. B F S Samaranayake, Director, Medical Supplies Division, MoH
Mr. N A Obadage, Chairman, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Authority of the North (RRAN)
Mr. T Lankaneson, Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Ports Development, Rehabilitation & Reconstruction

UN Agencies:

Mrs. S Mukherjee, Acting UN Resident Co-ordinator
Ms. R Thapa, Deputy Resident Co-ordinator, UNDP
Mr. B Schack, Officer-in-Charge, UNHCR
Mr. S Sharma, Country Director, WFP (w/ Mr. D Frankefort)

NGOs:

Mr. S Shamuganathan, Secretary, Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies

18-20.08.98 JAFFNA

UNICEF Office: All Staff (visit organized by Ms. P Brune)

Visited the following settlements and villages with displaced populations and returnees:
Santharapuram, Tellepallai
Matakal, Sandilipai
Urumpirai Village
Guranagar Jetty (transit camp)
Achelu
Puttur East

Government:
Mr. Shanmuganathan, Government Agent
Mr. Arunakirinathan, Primary Schools Trauma Programme
Dr. Theivendran, Medical Officer of Health

UN Agencies:

Mr. J Dixon, HSO, UNHCR (w/ Ms. A Gardner)
Mr. G Helseth, UNDP

NGOs and ICRC:
Father Damien B Psycho Social and Play Therapy Groups for Children
Dr. S Sundaran, Jaffna Hospital
Mr. P Ferrand, ICRC

20.08.98 FROM JAFFNA TO ANURADHAPURA

21-24.08.98 WANNI

UNICEF Office: All Staff (visit organized by Mr. R. Botralahy)

Government:

Mr. Paramadhajan, AGA, Madhu
Dr. A.N. Nageswary, Director, Mallavi Hospital

UN Agencies:
Ms. M Roche, SFO, UNHCR Vavuniya (on mission to UNHCR Mallavi)
Mr. S Kubo, AFO, UNHCR Madhu

Visited the following areas, open relief centres, and displaced camps:

Mullikulam
Madhu
Mundumurrippu
Palampiddi
Kilinochchi District, Thunnukai Division
Konavil
Kantharuban
Kudiruppu
Jeyapuram

NGOs and ICRC:
Ms. H Karima, MSF France
Mr. M. Giles, CARE International
Ms. S. Crook, OXFAM
Mr. M. Wyssmann and Ms. T. Osman, ICRC

LTTE:

Mr. Karikalan, Deputy Head, LTTE Political Wing
Mr. Pullithevan, Liaison Officer, LTTE Political Wing

24.08.98 ANURADHAPURA

25-26.08.98 THANTIRIMALE AND PUTTALAM

Visited the following settlements and displaced camps:

Saltern
Thambapanny

Government authorities in Anuradhapura and Puttalam

NGOs:
Rev. Thantirimale Chandaratana, Raja Maha Viharaya
Mr. A.C.M. MaharoofRural Development Foundation

27.08.98 COLOMBO

Debriefing meeting with all UNICEF staff

UN Agencies:
Mr. D Frankefort, WFP
Dr. P Hybsier, WHO
Mr. B Shack, UNHCR
Mr. P Vandenbruaene, UNDP

NGOs and Others:
Ms. P Taylor and Ms. J. Clark, SCF/UK
Mr. Hadorn, ICRC Office
Mr. J Thiagarajah, Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies
Mr. S Hollingworth, CARE International
Mr. M Aksland, Redd Barna

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