Sri Lanka: UNODC strengthens capacity of community groups, government officials and criminal justice practitioners to promote fundamental rights    

Colombo, Sri Lanka/25 October 2022: With support of the UN Secretary General’s Peace Building Fund (PBF), UNODC is currently implementing a project on ‘Promoting Access to Justice and Protecting the Rights Space to Foster Peace in Sri Lanka’.

In this context, a series of interventions were conducted in October 2022 in Sri Lanka, aimed at strengthening stakeholder awareness and capacities to strengthen the justice and fundamental rights framework.

Three capacity-building workshops were organised for 160 state officials and 75 senior police officers in the Southern Province and Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the Legal Aid Commission.

The trainings were designed to enhance understanding of applicable legal frameworks and provisions to protect fundamental rights. Discussions focused on addressing issues of fear of stigmatization, cultural perceptions, social alienation and public trust in law enforcement.

Held in collaboration with UNOPS and the Legal Aid Commission, the workshops aimed at strengthening coordination between civil society and criminal justice agencies, giving due consideration to the existing economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka.

UNODC works on empowerment of women in the justice process by promoting critical leadership with increased knowledge and capacities. Through the initiative, UNODC reached out to communities to enable them in understanding existing redress and referral mechanisms.

This activity contributes to SDG 4, SDG 5 and 16: https://sdg-tracker.org/

(Supported by the UN Secretary General’s Peace Building Fund)