Presentation Transcript

1. CALL FOR PAPERS FORUM ON SRI LANKA’S ROAD TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2014 22nd August, 2014 Law and Society Trust, No. 3 Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8 | Tel: 0112 684 845/ 0112 691228 | E-mail: lst@eureka.lk
2. Introduction:- The United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2011. Encompassing economic, social, cultural and political processes, development is a process that envisages constant improvement of both the populace as a whole, and individuals that make up the sum parts of the whole. This means that the population not only receives a fair distribution of the benefits of development, but also that they were provided the opportunity to meaningfully, voluntarily and actively participate in such development. Poverty, social unrest, inequality, and deprivation of all kinds including economic, social and political, are all inimical to the tenets of a human rights centered development process, which would ensure human rights based, sustainable approaches to development, that will not have an adverse impact on either the whole or the sum parts of the population, but will result in a fair distribution of the benefits. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Program| Law & Society Trust
3. The development drive in Sri Lanka, post May 2009, has seen exponential investments in public infrastructure, tourism and urban development. Whilst these advancements are theoretically both positive and to be encouraged, they have still had the result of leading to unrest, frustration and desperation in communities that these projects have directly displaced and/or disrupted. At the same time, the country appears to take great strides in the direction of overall economic development through infrastructure development, and one cannot argue with the notion that the citizenry of Sri Lanka as a whole can only gain from more airports, highways, ports, harbors and factories. Whether the dichotomy between what we lose and what we gain through this process is justifiable, is the grave question which this forum aims to address, debate and answer. The forum being organized by the Law and Society Trust seeks to promote research and discussion on a broad list of themes related to the Human Rights Based Approaches to Development and comparative discussions across South Asia and beyond are encouraged. We are open to papers and video submissions that range beyond the listed themes but are within the overall topic: Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Program| Law & Society Trust
4. Themes for Papers:- Development– Development and its many facets, from its social and environmental impacts, its beneficiaries, and its costs, both measurable and immeasurable, produce very relevant discourse for post-war Sri Lanka. The value of development in the guise of urban beautification to slum dwellers who are displaced and dispersed as a result of such development, as opposed to middle and upper class city dwellers, for example, is a moot point. Good practices in human centered development is therefore of great relevance to post-war Sri Lanka. Land– Human rights based approaches to development requires that the frontier between development and right to land is breached with minimal impact on the individuals of the population. Whilst none can deny that a country needs highways for example, and land must be sacrificed by a few for the national economic upliftment, at the same time, those whose lands are taken have rights too- and these rights are all too often neglected, ignored or suppressed in the stampede of development projects. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Program| Law & Society Trust
5. Social Justice and Development – All too often, social justice, and the impact of development on communities, is not measured in the way the environmental impact is assessed. The beautification of the city for example, results in persons who had built up a communal way of life in underserved communities for over 50 or 60 years, losing their homes, some of whom have legal right to the land on which such homes are built. It results in replacing of a way of life, from horizontal to vertical living, one that is alien to them, and one which many find it difficult to adapt to. On the other hand, unhygienic conditions, criminal activities, drugs, and other social disorders were rampant in their previous way of life, and could not be condoned for their own good. One method of bridging this gap, to meet the needs of all individuals, is a human rights based approach to development, which allows the community to participate in development drives that affect their lives, ensuring sustainable, and rights based approaches to development. Any other relevant theme relating to Human rights based approaches to development Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Program| Law & Society Trust
6. Submission Methods:- Electronic Submission System (.pdf/.jpg/video/alternative media) via email to lst.escrprogram@gmail.com Hard copies/video cd’s/alternative media may be posted/delivered to LST at ESCR Program - Law and Society Trust, No. 3 Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8 Submission Guidelines:- Language:- Sinhala, Tamil or English Format:- Text (maximum 5,000 words)/ Video recording/Audio-Visual submissions (maximum length 5 minutes) Submission Deadline:- 30th July 2014 Discretion to reject: LST reserves to itself the right to reject any or all submissions subsequent to evaluation by LST and at its sole discretion. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Program| Law & Society Trust
7. Rewards:- The winning entry, either paper or video/alternative media, will be awarded a prize of Rs. 10,000. The best three entries from each category will be selected to be presented at the forum on 22nd August2014. They will also be published on the LST website. Additional Resources The UN Declaration on the Right to Development has been translated to Sinhala and Tamil languages by the ESCR program of LST, and is available on the LST website (www.lawandsocietytrust.org) The decisions of the Law and Society Trust in relation to selection of submissions for awards/presentation at the forum, will be final. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Program| Law & Society Trust