Good Practices and Lessons Learned in Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Sri Lanka

When three decades of conflict ended in May 2009 in Sri Lanka, approximately 450,000 people had been displaced, with many having to rebuild their lives following the destruction of homes, villages and livelihoods. The Post-Conflict Reconstruction Programme in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, implemented by UN-Habitat from 2010-2016, provided numerous opportunities as well as challenges and proved to be a testing ground for many new strategies and technologies. This report looks closely at three main elements that made the programme a success, the participation of people from the inception to the end, the diverse partnerships, donors, government, community based organisations that brought people together to implement the projects and the new and innovative technologies that were introduced to make the programme cost effective and sustainable.