UNDP officials review Jaffna projects

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 September 2004, 16:53 GMT]
A team of officials of the UNDP Friday held a review in Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) on progress made in implementing several development projects in the Jaffna district, sources said.

Mr.Joy Keen, Professor Arjuna Parakrama and Mr.Chanaka Samarasinghe, advisors of the UNDP participated in the discussion representing UNDP.

Mr.S.Sakthivel, Chairman of the Jaffna Non-Governmental Organizations' Consortium, Ms Saroja Sivachchandran of the Women Development Centre, Rev Fr.J.Jeyakumar of HUDEC, Mr. S.Paramanathan, President of the Valigamam IDP's Welfare Society and Rev.Fr A.J.Bernard of the Movement for Justice, Peace and Goodwill participated in the discussion on behalf of Jaffna civil society, sources said.

The discussion, which lasted more than two hours, mainly centred on protecting the human rights of internally displaced families (IDPs)languishing in several welfare centres for several years, sources said.

UNDP officials inquired from Jaffna civil groups' representatives about the living condition of IDPs in welfare centres.

Representatives of civil groups told UNDP officials that the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) must commence peace talks with the LTTE without further delay and work hard to find a political resolution to the conflict, sources said.