Involuntary Resettlement

Technical Assistance to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for Development of a National Involuntary Resettlement Policy -- TA No. 3246-SRI

• Cabinet approval of the National Involuntary Resettlement Policy (NIRP), 21 May 2001

After almost a year of exhaustive consultations among various sectors of society by the Ministry of Finance and Planning, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka's Cabinet of Ministers has approved the National Involuntary Resettlement Policy (NIRP) on 21 May 2001.

Goal

To ensure that people affected by development projects are treated in a fair and equitable manner and that they are not impoverished in the process.

Coverage

• The policy will enable the Government of Sri Lanka to address key issues related to resettlement and ensure smooth implementation of resettlement related activities.
• The policy zeroes in on minimizing impacts at the early stages of the project by requiring project designers to exert more effort in exploring design options that minimizes impact on people.
• The policy exacts transparency and accountability in the operations of Project Executing Agencies (PEAs) and directs them to institutionalize consultative processes, grievance redressal as well as monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.