August 2004

At the International Convening Event of the Nonviolent Peaceforce in Delhi, December 2002, delegates from 47 countries voted to undertake a pilot project in Sri Lanka. These voting members represented over 70 member organizations that make up the body of Nonviolent Peaceforce. The project began in June of 2003 and will last approximately three years, offering presence, accompaniment and monitoring in areas of violence and conflict. This includes areas where disputes may escalate into violence and in places where social tensions exist between different individuals and groups.

This third-party nonviolent intervention project in Sri Lanka is based on fundamental principles of Nonviolent Peaceforce:

• Nonviolence: NP representatives will use only nonviolent means and strategies in all circumstances.

• Non-partisanship: NP will not take any side in the conflict nor make its services available to one party over another.

• Non-interference: NP comes at the invitation of Sri Lankans, and undertakes activities only under the guidance of Sri Lankans. NP will not undertake to influence outcomes of the conflict except to assure that they are not violent.

• Mutual respect: NP strives not to undermine the reputation of any person or group, rather to understand and report causes and needs while opposing violence itself.

• Permission: NP seeks goodwill and acceptance from all parties.

• Reduce the level of and potential for violence

• Increase the safety of civilians during the peace process

• Improve possibilities for civilian participation in the peace process

• Increase the likelihood of peace with justice through civilian participation

• Increase the confidence and creativity of civilians as a result of improving their safety

• Deter resumption of violent conflict

NP team members are positioned in areas which local organizations in the field, have identified as areas where individuals and groups promoting reconciliation and respect for human rights consider themselves to be under the threat of violence. In November 2003 NP established its first four regional sites in the Batticaloa, Jaffna, Matara and Trincomalee Districts. Team units are only placed in areas where NP can take the time and use its skills to build relationship and trust with people who live there. In this way, NP improves its opportunities for solidarity with and support for the vulnerable.

Services provided by NP team members include international protective presence, accompaniment if requested, and support of individuals and groups working for peaceful outcomes and advocating for and protecting their human rights. So as to ensure NP’s transparent and non partisan character, NP’s activities are undertaken in consultation with agencies appropriate to the circumstances. These agencies include NP’s national partner, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), as well as the Sri Lankan Government, the LTTE and other national and regional organizations working for nonviolent conflict resolution.

Since the beginning of the year the team’s activities have included:

• Supporting PAFFREL to observe and report on the close of nominations in the general elections in 11 Districts for the first time, followed up by joining PAFFREL Sri Lankan and international observers for the election period itself

• Providing accompaniment for people under direct threat of harm

• Working with clergy and Government officials to establish local peace groups

• Networking with Sri Lankan civil society to prepare for civilian safety in an area where armed violence is feared

• At the invitation of Sarvodaya, Sri Lanka’s largest NGO, working to develop a Rapid Deployment Force, to intervene before and during outbreaks of violence to prevent or diffuse such incidents

NP is continually in a process of consultation with PAFFREL and many other local organizations and individuals about the size and implementation of the project. Current expectations regarding development of the project are as follows:

Project staff arrived in Sri Lanka in June 2003 and began working with PAFFREL, regional advisors, etc. They have set up a Colombo office, developed logistics, established the initial field sites, already mentioned, and are developing trust and permission from all. The Colombo staff consists of a Project Director, Accountant, Administrator and Team Manager. The initial 10 field members have been joined by a further four and are based in the four identified sites. Field presence will continue to be built in careful stages, to a possible final team size of 30 in 2005, when additional field sites would be opened, if requested by Sri Lankan partners. These team members will generally work in units of 3 to 5 persons each at each site. The activities of the field team and its size are kept under constant review, subject to the advice of those with whom NP works in the field.

International organisations, such as the SLMM, ICRC, UNHCR, UNICEF, Amnesty International and others are already playing a significant role in the peace process. The intention of NP is not to duplicate the work being done by other organizations but to fill a separate need by living closely with civilians at a grass roots level as internationals dedicated to nonviolence. The impact of this policy is already evident from the role that the Mutur and Valaichchenai teams have been playing in protection of civilians since the LTTE split became evident in March 2004.

Team members were selected from a wide range of experiences and educational disciplines related to various aspects of international peacekeeping.

Of the 20 staff employed in Sri Lanka, 12 are women and 8 are men; 7 are from the Global North and 13 from the Global South, from five continents. Ages of the staff range from 25 to 61. The team’s common language is English, but members, between them, speak 25 other languages. The team’s professional background includes, though is not limited to, the following: writers, trainers, peace and justice workers, mental health workers, teachers, social workers, soldiers, managers, lawyers, journalists, college professors, humanitarian NGO workers, work with faith based organizations, administrators, policy analysts, organizers, activists, wilderness guides, educational advisors, field workers and researchers. All have lived, studied and/or worked internationally. The NP team has also undergone extensive nonviolent and language training both before and after arrival in Sri Lanka.

William Knox, 62 Somarathana Mawatha, Bellanwila, Boralesgamuwa, Sri Lanka
Tel: 011 2721561 and 077 77 20 456 (M); 
email: wknox@nonviolentpeaceforce.org