First meeting of the sub-committee on gender issues (SGI) held in Kilinochchi

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Country/entity
Sri Lanka
Region
Asia and Pacific
Agreement name
First meeting of the sub-committee on gender issues (SGI) held in Kilinochchi
Date
6 Mar 2003
Agreement status
Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement
Yes
Agreement/conflict level
Intrastate/intrastate conflict ( Sri Lankan Civil War (1983 - 2009) )
Stage
Pre-negotiation/process
Conflict nature
Government/territory
Peace process
Sri Lanka LTTE 2002 onward process
Parties
Government of Sri Lanka, represented by Dr. Kumari Jayawardena, Dr. Deepika Udagama, Dr. Fazeela M. Riyaz, Ms. Kumundi Samuel, Ms. Faizun Zackariya;

LTTE, represented by Ms. Thamilini Subramaniam, Ms. Kaaya Somasundram, Ms. Premila Somasyndram, Ms. Suthamathy Sanmugarajah, Ms. Yalisai Balasingham
Third parties
Norwegian Government facilitator, Dr. Astrid N. Heiberg
Description
The first meeting of the Sub-committee on Gender Issues (SGI) was held in Kilinochchi 5-6 March 2003. During the meeting in Oslo both parties expressed their willingness to set up this Committee in order to secure the active participation of women and the effective inclusion of gender issues in the peace process.

Agreement document
LK_030306_First meeting of the sub-committee on gender issues (SGI) held in Kilinochchi.pdf | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth
No specific mention.
Disabled persons
No specific mention.
Elderly/age
No specific mention.
Migrant workers
No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group
No specific mention.
Religious groups
No specific mention.
Indigenous people
No specific mention.
Other groups
No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons
Groups→Refugees/displaced persons→Rhetorical
Page 1, Paragraph 2-3, ... In their determination to include the gender perspective in the peace process they decided to focus their efforts on the following issues in the immediate and long term:
- Resettlement

Paragraph 5, The SGI will immediately get involved with SIHRN in the process of Accelerated Resettlement Programme for the Jaffna District (ARP-J) and Fast-track Resettlement Programme for the Mannar District (FTRP-M) an other ongoing resettlement programmes in the North and East.
Social class
No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender
Page 1, Paragraph 1, ... During the meeting in Oslo both parties expressed their willingness to set up this Committee in order to secure the active participation of women and the effective inclusion of gender issues in the peace process.

Page 1, Paragraph 2-3, ... In their determination to include the gender perspective in the peace process they decided to focus their efforts on the following issues in the immediate and long term:
- Livelihood and employment

Paragraph 4, The SGI will report directly to the plenary session of the peace talks and work closely with the other Sub-committees and other mechanisms associated with the peace process. It will identify issues of concern to women that need to be addressed and bring those concerns into the agenda of the peace process.

Paragraph 6, the SGI support the SIHRN's [Sub-committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Need in the North and East] project for traumatized women in Kilinochchi and strongly encourages SIHRN to set up similar centres in the east and in other districts affected by the conflict.

Paragraph 7, The SGI will formulate Gender Guidelines for the Sub-Committees and other mechanisms associated with the peace process.

Paragraph 10, The Committee members visited several projects concerning the welfare of women in the Kilinochchi area.

The Sub-committee on Gender Issues consists of the following five members from each of the parties: [see parties]
Men and boys
No specific mention.
LGBTI
No specific mention.
Family
No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general)
No specific mention.
State configuration
No specific mention.
Self determination
No specific mention.
Referendum
No specific mention.
State symbols
No specific mention.
Independence/secession
No specific mention.
Accession/unification
No specific mention.
Border delimitation
No specific mention.
Cross-border provision
No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed)
No specific mention.
Elections
No specific mention.
Electoral commission
No specific mention.
Political parties reform
No specific mention.
Civil society
Page 1, Paragraph 2-3, ... In their determination to include the gender perspective in the peace process they decided to focus their efforts on the following issues in the immediate and long term:
- Political representation and decision-making
Traditional/religious leaders
No specific mention.
Public administration
No specific mention.
Constitution
No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing
No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing
No specific mention.
Economic power sharing
No specific mention.
Military power sharing
No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general
No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar
No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation
No specific mention.
Civil and political rights
No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights
No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship
No specific mention.
Democracy
No specific mention.
Detention procedures
No specific mention.
Media and communication
No specific mention.
Mobility/access
No specific mention.
Protection measures
No specific mention.
Other
No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI
No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions
No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law
No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions
No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts
No specific mention.
Prisons and detention
No specific mention.
Traditional Laws
No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction
Socio-economic reconstruction→Development or socio-economic reconstruction→Humanitarian assistance
[Summary] Agreement references the Sub-committee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Need in the North and East as the abbreviation 'SIHRN'
Socio-economic reconstruction→Development or socio-economic reconstruction→Infrastructure and reconstruction
Page 1, Paragraph 2-3, ... In their determination to include the gender perspective in the peace process they decided to focus their efforts on the following issues in the immediate and long term:
- Infrastructure and services
National economic plan
No specific mention.
Natural resources
No specific mention.
International funds
No specific mention.
Business
No specific mention.
Taxation
No specific mention.
Banks
No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights
No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights
No specific mention.
Cultural heritage
No specific mention.
Environment
No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access
No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees
Page 1, Paragraph 2-3, ... In their determination to include the gender perspective in the peace process they decided to focus their efforts on the following issues in the immediate and long term:
- Personal security and safety
Ceasefire
No specific mention.
Police
No specific mention.
Armed forces
No specific mention.
DDR
No specific mention.
Intelligence services
No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces
No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces
No specific mention.
Corruption
No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime
No specific mention.
Drugs
No specific mention.
Terrorism
No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general
No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon
No specific mention.
Courts
No specific mention.
Mechanism
No specific mention.
Prisoner release
No specific mention.
Vetting
No specific mention.
Victims
Paragraph 5, The SGI will immediately get involved with SIHRN in the process of Accelerated Resettlement Programme for the Jaffna District (ARP-J) and Fast-track Resettlement Programme for the Mannar District (FTRP-M) an other ongoing resettlement programmes in the North and East.

Paragraph 6, the SGI support the SIHRN's project for traumatized women in Kilinochchi and strongly encourages SIHRN to set up similar centres in the east and in other districts affected by the conflict.
Missing persons
No specific mention.
Reparations
No specific mention.
Reconciliation
Page 1, Paragraph 2-3, ... In their determination to include the gender perspective in the peace process they decided to focus their efforts on the following issues in the immediate and long term:
- Reconciliation

Implementation

UN signatory
No specific mention.
Other international signatory
No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement
No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar
No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism
No specific mention.
Related cases
No specific mention.
Source
http://peaceinsrilanka.org/insidepages/Pressrelease/RNG/PV/RNG06MarchPV.html [archived hardcopy printed 06/10/2003 (not recoverable via Wayback Machine)]

FIRST MEETING OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON GEN DER ISSUES (SGI) HELD IN KILINOCHCHI 5-6 MARCH

PRESS RELEASE

06 March 2003

The first meeting of the Sub-Committee on Gender lssues (SGI) was held in Kilinochchi 5-6 March 2003.

The establishment of the SGI was agreed upon by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the third session of negotiations in Oslo 2-5 December 2002.

During the meeting in Oslo both parties expressed their willingness to set up this Committee in order to secure the active participation of women and the effective inclusion of gender issues in the peace process.

The deliberations between the delegates were positive and constructive and included a wide range of issues of concern to women in this stage of the peace process.

The Committee members acknowledged the widespread and profound suffering of women as a consequence of war, especially in the most affected areas.

in their determination to include the gender perspective in the peace process they decided to focus their efforts on the following issues in the immediate and long term:

· Sustaining the peace process

· Resettlement

· Personal security and safety

· lnfrastructure and services

· Livelihood and employment

· Political represenatation and decision-making

· Reconciliation

The SGI will report directly to the plenary session of the peace talks and work closely with the other Sub-Committees and other mechanisms associated with the peace process.

it will identify issues of concern to women that need to be addressed and bring those concerns into the agenda of the peace process.

The SGI will immediately get involved with SIHRN in the process of Accelerated Resettlement Programme for the Jaffna District (ARP-J) and the Fast-track Resettlement Programme for the Mannar District (FTRP-M) and other ongoing resettlement programmes in the north and east.

The SGI supports SIHRN's project for traumatized women in Kilinochchi and strongly encourages SIHRN to set up similar centres in the east and in other districts affected by the conflict.

The SGI will formulate Gender Guidelines for the Sub-Committees and other mechanisms associated with the peace process.

The SGI decided to establish a Secretariat in Kilinochchi.

An office of the SGI shall be established in Colombo.

The two entities will co-operate closely in serving all members of the SGI in their work.

The SGI discussed fundamental elements of the Terms of Reference that will be presented to the plenary session of the peace talks in April 2003.

The Committee members visited several projects concerning the welfare of women in the Kilinochchi area.

The next meeting of the SGI will take place in Kilinochchi 4-5 April 2003.

Future meetings of the SGI will be organised in different areas.

The Sub-Committee on Gender lssues consists of the following five members from each of the parties.

GOSL:

Dr. Kumari Jayawardena

Dr. Deepika Udagama

Dr. Fazeela M. Riyaz

Ms. Kumuduni Samuel

Ms. Faizun Zackariya

LTTE:

Ms. Thamilini Subramaniam

Ms. Kaaya Somasyndram

Ms. Premila Somasyndram

Ms. Suthamathy Sanmugarajah

Ms. Yalisai Balasingham

The parties have requested Norway to appoint a resource person as a facilitator to the SGI.

The Norwegian government assigned Dr. Astrid N. Heiberg, a professor of psychiatry to the University of Oslo, and past president of the lnternational Red Cross Federation.