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EU News

from Sri Lanka & the Maldives

April – June 2011

IN THIS ISSUE

� Celebrating Europe Day

� EU prize for Journalism

� EU opens Information Centre in Colombo

� International Year of the Forest

� European Parliamentarians visit to Sri

Lanka & the Maldives

� Sustainable production in the Food and Beverage Industry

� EU and AKASA - Empowering Women

� EU assistance to the mental health

sector

� A true example to the saying "Ask and

you shall receive"

� EU Book Exhibition

� EU Ambassador's visit to Maldives

EU Delegation Sri Lanka, Press Office:

Tel: (+94-11) 267 4413 ext. 103

Email: delegation-sri-lanka-press-and-

[email protected] Website: http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/sri_lanka

of 7 Delegation Sri Lanka

Celebrating Europe Day

The speech that changed history

Poster issued in celebration of

Europe Day 2011

Highlights from the Europe Day celebrations in Sri Lanka

Above: EU Ambassador Bernard Savage with Minister for Plantation Industries, Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe

Below: other guests at the function

The European Union celebrated 61 years on 9th May, since the late

French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman presented his proposal for

the creation of an organised Europe in 1950.

The proposal known as the "Schuman Declaration" was the beginning

of what is now the European Union. Robert Schuman proposed the

formation of an international European Institution, charged with the

management of the coal and steel industry, the very sector which in

1950 was the basis of all military power. The countries which he

called upon had almost destroyed each other in a dreadful conflict

which had left them with a sense of material and moral desolation.

Everything, therefore, began that day. During a summit in Milan in

1985 EU leaders decided to celebrate 9 May as "Europe Day".

With humble beginnings of just 6 nations the EU is now considered

one of the most influential multi national coalitions comprising of 27

European member countries with over 500 million citizens. Every

country which chooses to accede to the European Union endorses its

fundamental values of peace and solidarity. These values find

expression through economic and social development embracing

environmental and regional dimensions which are the guarantees of a

decent standard of living for all citizens.

The EU is the world's largest single economy and the EU's single

currency, the euro (€) is shared by 17 EU nations with Estonia being

the latest in January 2011. They together represent over two thirds of

the EU population. The Euro is also the second most commonly

traded reserve currency in the world.

The EU and its member states provide 54% of aid for development

around the world and has provided emergency assistance for crisis

situations such as in the wake of natural disasters and conflicts in

more than a 100 countries around the world.

The EU is also the leading partner in the “Kyoto” drive to reduce the

effects of global warming, whilst helping to save the planet with

regulatory cuts in CO2.


European Union prize for Journalism Since the year 1992, the European Commission and Reporters Without Boarders have partnered to

launch the annual "Lorenzo Natali Prize" in honour of "World Press Freedom Day", celebrated on

3rd May.

The international prize, rewards journalists committed to Human

Rights, Democracy and Development across the world. The

Lorenzo Natali Prize has been an integral part of the Commission's

development policy for 20 years, defending freedom of expression,

democracy, human rights and development in a way of promoting

good governance, peace and improving living conditions in the

poorest countries. The competition is a symbol of Europe's support

to journalists who often work tirelessly to raise awareness of the

importance of development policy.

This competition is open to journalists working in TV, radio, the press and online media. Since its

inception many thousands of journalists have taken part each year representing the Asia, Europe, Mid-

East and the Pacific.

Three print and online press winners from each of the five geographic areas – Africa, The Arab World

and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean – will receive

prize money (1st prize: EUR 5 000, 2nd prize: EUR 2 500, 3rd prize: EUR 1 500) and a trophy.

The two winners of the Special TV Prize and Special Radio Prize, drawn from entries from all regions, will

be awarded EUR 5 000 each. The Lorenzo Natali Grand Prize of an additional EUR 5 000 will be awarded

to the winning journalist(s) submitting the best piece of work overall, as determined by an independent

Grand Jury.

All Prize winners will be special guests of the European Commission at an Awards Ceremony organised in

their honour in December 2011.

The deadline for submission is 31 August 2011 and interested journalists can visit

http://www.nataliprize2010.eu for online application and additional information.

Additionally, a Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lorenzo-Natali-Journalism-

Prize/206524359368095) and a Twitter account (www.twitter.com/LorenzoNataliP) have been created to

connect journalists all around the world and provide more information on the prize.

EU launches Information Centre in Colombo

The EU Delegation in Colombo launched the first European Union

Information Centre (EUi) in Colombo at the Public Library on 10th

May 2011.The Information Centre was inaugurated by Special

Commissioner of the Colombo Municipal Council, Mr. Omar Kamil

and the EU Delegation Ambassador, Mr. Bernard Savage.

The overall objective of the information centre is to share

information on the European Union, its policies and programmes and

the work carried out by the EU in Sri Lanka among the population at

large.

The Colombo Public Library will be directly liked to the information

centre in Brussels and will be provided with publications on a regular

basis. A comprehensive range of publications on the European

Union, its institutions, legislation, policy areas, relations between Sri

Lanka and the region will be made available at the EUi. The

documentation available at the centre are those published by the

European Commission, European Council, European Parliament and

other EU institutions and organizations.

The centre's information will be freely accessible to the general

public and will specifically benefit students carrying out research

activities. The European Union last year opened its first Information

Centre at the Jaffna Public Library.


International Year of the Forest

European Parliamentarian's visit to Sri Lanka & the Maldives

In keeping with the European Union's Forestry Strategy and Forest

Action Plan, the EU Delegation in Sri Lanka together with Rainforest

Rescue International has outlined several activities to celebrate IYF

2011 in June in the Polonnaruwa District.

Activities will include tree planting, poster competitions and a public

exhibition. Activities related to this programme will be carried out in

close cooperation of the local authorities and departments such as the

Zonal Education Department and related environment

establishments.

The aim of this programme is to help those reliant upon forest

resources to better understand the importance of the forest

ecosystem and help protect and manage that resource better.

Forests cover approximately 30% of land area in the world. Although

they once covered almost 50% of land area, due to de-forestation

have decreased immensely, especially within the last century.

Forests are one of Earths greatest renewable resources, providing

multiple benefits to society and the economy. In an effort to raise

awareness on the sustainable management, conservation and

sustainable development of forests the United Nations has declared

2011 as the International Year of Forests (IYF 2011).

� Livelihoods of 1.6 billion

people depend on forests.

� Forests are home to 80% of

Earths biodiversity.

� Forests are home to over 300

million people around the world.

A Delegation of 7 European Parliamentarian's, headed by MEP Ms.

Jean Lambert visited from 19 – 25 February to hold meetings with

their counterparts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

During their visit to Sri Lanka, in addition to meeting with senior

government officials and opposition parties, international community

etc., the Delegation visited Jaffna and Vavuniya in order to view the

humanitarian and development projects funded by the European

Union.

One of the highlights in Vavuniya was the visit to the Vavuniya

General Hospital Orthopaedic Surgery Ward, which was recently

rehabilitated with funding by the European Commission Aid

Department (ECHO). A few parliamentarians were able to witness

first hand an operation on one of the many patients of the hospital.

In Jaffna in addition to meetings with the local government officials

they were able to visit de-mining, mine risk education, temporary

shelter and permanent housing projects funded by the EU and ECHO.

During their visit to the Maldives the parliamentary delegation, who

were accompanied by the EU Delegation Ambassador and other

officials, held meetings with the President, senior government

officials, opposition parties, civil society organisations and other

stakeholders.

Discussions included the prevailing climate change and development

issues faced by the Maldives further to its graduation from a Least

Developed Country Status.

The parliamentary Delegation also travelled to Kudahoovadhoo Island

in order to visit development and reconstruction projects in the

education and health sectors funded by the EU.


Sustainable Production in the Food & Beverage Industry

Highlights from SWITCH-ASIA

European Union Book Exhibition

The SWITCH – Asia Programme on Sustainable Consumption

and Production (SCP), funded by the European Union, which is

now on its 3rd year of operation has contributed overall in a

meaningful manner to improve the Sustainable Initiatives of the

Food & Beverage industry. To date about 250 SMEs have been

trained and some have already enhanced their profits by

implementing best practices of SCP. About 100 companies in the

Food & Beverage sector have been trained to comply with

international food safety standards (ISO 22000:2005 / HACCP /

GMP). Four companies have already obtained their certification and

a few more are in the process of being certified during the year

2011, which is expected to give them a competitive edge in the

export market.

A study on the present SCP policies in Sri Lanka was

undertaken and a workshop was organised with all the stakeholders

including the beneficiaries, Government Departments/ Authorities

and the relevant Ministries to identify new policy instruments on

SCP for implementation. Compilation of the policy document was

the outcome of the workshop and the document was handed over to

the Minister of Environment.

A Special workshop was organised for the bakery sector to

promote the usage of rice flour for bread and bakery products in

order to have a positive impact on the environment with the

reduction of CO2 emission due to less quantity of wheat flour being

imported.

An Awareness Programme on “Sustainability Reporting”

based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 guidelines was

conducted to the corporate sector with the assistance of CII, which

is accredited to conduct GRI programmes. On similar lines a

National Green Reporting System in Sri Lanka was initiated for

Companies under the BOI regime and to the major Supermarkets at

the request of the Ministry of Environment. This initiative

encouraged Green Reporting Systems both in Public and Private

Sectors.

The SWITCH – Asia programme on SCP for F & B sector along with

Greening of Hotels Programme were given the honour of

conducting a special forum on “Challenges to SMEs in

maintaining a Green Supply Chain” at the 9th Asia Pacific

Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production (APRSCP)

which was held from 10th to the 12th June 2010 in Colombo.

The European Union Delegation in Sri Lanka will hold its annual book/ information exhibition at the

Colombo Public Library on 14th June 2011 from 9.00am to 4.00pm. This exhibition which is in

its 6th year has been a great success with several thousands of students and general public

participating.

Publications on the European Union and the work it carries out in Sri Lanka and the world will be

distributed free of charge at this event. In addition, video documentaries featuring EU humanitarian

and development activities implemented in Sri Lanaka will also be showcased throughout the day.


EU & AKASA – Empowering Women

AKASA meaning sky in Sinhalese is the abbreviation for the

Association of Women with Disabilities a network of self-help groups,

devoted to creating opportunities for its members. Based in the small

town of Talawa in the Anuradhapura District of North-Central Sri

Lanka, AKASA has been helping women with disabilities to reach for

the “sky” by making them aware of their rights and protecting them

from economic, political, cultural and social discrimination.

Together with the funding of the European Union, AKASA

implements a project to Empower women with disabilities in

post conflict areas in Sri Lanka. Currently implemented in five

districts the project seeks to improve psycho-social, health and

economic status of 600 Women With Disabilities (WWDs) from 250

civil society organisations.

The most recent activity conducted under this project is a leadership

training program for selected leaders representing the civil society

organisations in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Trincomalee

and Ampara. 25 women participated in the bilingual program which

was also conducted using sign language at the Fisheries Corporation

Training Centre in Kalawewa.

The main aim of the programme was to develop more confidence and

improved self esteem among these women whilst empowering them to

become strong advocates for their rights, thereby enabling them to make positive contributions towards

the development of the district networks that support the disabled.

Ms Kamalawathi, the dynamic leader of AKASA, herself affected by physically disability knows better

than anyone the challenges that can be overcome. Having participated in the Paralympics and winning a

gold medal and being the recipient of the International Service Award for human rights presented by the

United Kingdom parliament she knows fully the true meaning of overcoming difficult odds. She is proud

of AKASA and what they have achieved in the last 15 years.

Speaking about the programme Ms. Kamalawathi said, "We have been able to develop a positive image

about disabled women in the Anuradhapura area and today people here perceive the AKASA

organisation in a positive light. I want the disabled in Sri Lanka to enjoy the same rights enjoyed by

those in the more developed countries and with the assistance of the EU I'm sure this will be possible".

EU assistance to the Mental Health Sector

Hosted by VSO Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and funding from the European

Union, a national workshop titled "Evidence based Practices on Mental Health" was held for

individuals, institutions and organizations of the mental health sector.

The main objective of the workshop was to share evidence-based practices on three main subject areas:

the socio-cultural aspects of mental health; stigma and empowerment; and alcohol, substance abuse

and self harm. It was hoped that by sharing best practices, policy makers, researchers and people

working in the mental health sector could learn ways to better support people with mental illnesses in

their communities.

It was well attended by over 120 participants from across the country representing the Ministry of

Health, mental health administrators, mental health professionals including Psychiatrists, Medical

Officers, Social Workers, Psychiatric Nurses, psychologists, sociologists, academics, NGOs/INGOs,

donors, media and VSO Sri Lanka staff and volunteers.

A publication detailing the best practices presented at the workshop is to be published by VSO Sri Lanka

in May 2011, which it is hoped will certainly be a benchmark in the history of the mental health sector in

Sri Lanka.


From simple beginnings…

The saying "ask and you shall receive" is the only perfect example

to describe the turn of events that led a single mother of two to

receive what in her words could be a new chance at life …

The European Union Delegation in Sri Lanka has over the past year

included a semi-monthly article titled "Let's Explore Europe" in the

"Wijeya" children's national language newspaper. The articles have

featured information from Europe's beauty and wildlife to its rich

and colourful history and more recently to the evolution of the

European Union. Included in these articles is a question to which 3

winners are chosen and given prizes by the EU Delegation in

Colombo.

Earlier this year included in with the answer to a question was a heartfelt letter from a desperate mother

of one of the entrees. The 37 year old mother of two, whose husband had left her, appealed to the

European Union for assistance. Being fully aware of the work that Women In Need (WIN) does, the EU

Delegation spoke to WIN regarding the possibility of assisting her in some way.

The client was a single mother who was struggling to provide for her family. Her husband had left her a

year ago (while she was pregnant with their second child), as he had been having an extra marital affair.

The client was left to fend for herself and has been clearing eakles as an income generating activity to

provide food for her now 4 month old baby and 6 year old son.

A loan had been obtained by the family in order to build their house with the signature of two Samurdhi

Officers as guarantors. However, as the client was now the sole breadwinner of the family, she was

facing problems in paying back the loan. In a way to recover their money, the bank was now in the

process of recovering the debt from the bank guarantors and they were on the verge of losing their jobs.

Due to this the client was threatened by them and therefore didn't spend nights in heir house as she was

afraid for her life and those of her children. As a last resort, she wrote her letter of appeal to the

European Union for help.

WIN lawyers who took up the case spoke to the Manager, Alawwa People’s Bank where the loan had

been obtained. Through their initiative they were able to get the amount of Rs. 21,000 (Interest and

Legal Court Fees) waived off from the Rs. 41,000 that had to be paid. Whilst with the intervention of the

village priest, the client also managed to collect Rs. 10,000 through donations from her village.

WIN came forward to help the client with a donation for the balance debt, which was handed over to the

client on March 22nd 2011 at the WIN Head Office by the Executive Director Mrs. Savithri Wijesekera.

The client was thankful and relieved to have this burden lifted off her shoulders and left the WIN office

to face a positive future.

EU Ambassador's visit to Maldives

EU Ambassador's based in Sri Lanka visited the Maldives from 23 to 25 May 2011. During this visit the

EU Ambassador's called on His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Nasheed, President of the Maldives, His

Excellency Dr. Mohamed Waheed, Vice President of the Maldives and His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Naseem,

Minister of Foreign Affairs. The EU Delegation also met with representatives of the opposition parties,

the Male City Council Mayor and Council members, the Human Right Commission, civil society

organizations and the Media. The EU Ambassadors also visited Addu and met with the Addu City Council

Members.

The EU Delegation comprised of H. E. Mrs. Christine Robichon, Ambassador of France, H. E. Mr. Jens

Plotner, Ambassador of Germany, H. E. Mr. Fabrizio Pio Arpea, Ambassador of Italy, H. E. Mr. John

Rankin, British High Commissioner, and H. E. Mr. Bernard Savage, Head of Delegation of the European

Union.

Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka & the Maldives

26, Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka

Website: http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/sri_lanka

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