Sri Lanka: Land and Conflict in the North and East: Policy Note

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Abstract

This report analyzes land issues in Sri Lanka, which cannot be seen in isolation from the ethnic and political conflict and, at the same time, even though land conflict is often linked with the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, a large number of land conflicts in the North and East can be resolved prior to a full and national political solution to the ethnic situation. This report analyzes constraints and opportunities for an effective governance framework for land access and land tenure security in the conflict-affected areas of Sri Lanka, develops a comprehensive typology of land-related conflicts to inform policy dialogue and to identify types of conflict that may be resolvable in the current situation and to distinguish them from those which are not, identifies policy criteria to further ensure a conflict-sensitive approach in a post-conflict and post-tsunami context whereby regional, religious and ethnic balances in the allocation and/or restitution of land and property rights are to be addressed. The report synthesizes existing studies, mainly qualitative assessments of limited scope and outreach, but a more in-depth quantitative assessment may be conducted later on, when the political situation is conducive to do so.