Sri Lanka receives £10 million from the UK to support peacebuilding

The UK has promised £10 million to encourage peacebuilding and reconciliation, support resettlement and livelihoods in Sri Lanka for displaced communities and to uphold the rule of the law. This statement was announced during a visit by the Commonwealth Minister of State, UN and South Asia, Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, Special Representative of the Prime Minister to Avoid Sexual Violence in Conflict.  

The Commonwealth Minister of State met with political and religious leaders from across the communities of Sri Lanka in a program cut short by flight delays. They agreed on the importance of reconciliation in their meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena and the need for governments in promoting inter-community communication and addressing discrimination.

Commonwealth Minister of State had a broad-based meeting with Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana to discuss the ongoing development of bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka. They explored the shared responsibility of political leaders and communities in ensuring that minority concerns and desires were heard and answered in their meeting with Tamil National Alliance leader R. Sampanthan.

The Minister also met with business leaders from Sri Lanka during the visit to exchange ideas on economic growth and development opportunities and improve trade ties between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

OSL Take: The FDI of £10 million to support reconciliation and the resettlement process by the UK, would have a definite positive impact on Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. Several other countries that are vital tourist sources to Sri Lanka have already supported the nation in order to strengthen security including China, recently providing Sri Lanka with security equipment.

All these actions, along with the incentives presented by the Sri Lankan government to the country’s tourism sector, would help the industry’s quick return to normalcy. There have also been several international industry experts that have pledged support to the country and emphasised on Sri Lanka’s growth potential. Therefore, foreign businesses/investors could explore business/investment opportunities in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.

VBS/AT/20191101/Z_TB4