National Integration Program Unit (NIPU)

The National Integration Program Unit (NIPU) which is a Program funded by the Norwegian Government has also been assigned to the Ministry whereby it has enabled the Ministry and NIPU to act together.

NIPU is mandated by the Ministry to plan, implement, co-ordinate and monitor programs necessary to achieve the objective of a harmonious and stable multi-ethnic polity.

The National Integration Division has identified the following functions. They are the,

1. Planning role - devise plans to manage ethnic relations to achieve peace and harmony among ethnic groups and to promote national integration.
2. Implementation role - implement approved programs in institutions which come under the control of the National Integration Program Unit.
3. Advisory role - where approved policies are implemented by other agencies, interface with them in an advisory capacity.
4. Catalytic role - within the present policy framework, coordinates and promotes other Ministries to initiate action in matters pertaining to ethnic relations and national integration.

 It is intended to carry out the above functions through programs for the following:

1. Building confidence among all ethnic and religious groups and winning over their trust.
2. Cultivating mutual interaction and understanding among different ethnic and religious groups.
3. Promoting appreciation of positive aspects of multi-ethnic and multi-cultural heritages
4. Checking and countering the ethnic, language and religion -based discrimination and advocating of such discriminatory policies.
5. Developing a mechanism to address ethnic and religion - based grievances.
6. Promoting a culture of peace, human rights, equal opportunity and equality of treatment.
7. Preparing public servants through training programs to effectively implement a policy of national integration.
8. Facilitate the restructuring of institutions of power and governance to give expression to a new concept of an equitable, secular state and a new vision of nationhood.

NIPU programmes/activities

• Planning, monitoring & reviewing of NIPU programmes
• Preparing the proposal for the next five year period through stakeholder consultations and research
• Taking initiatives to mobilize the stakeholder and the civil society in support of National Integration.
  
  

During the time period 1st January - 31st December 2007 NIPU will undertake programmes focusing on the current status of the problem of national integration in Sri Lanka:

1. National Reconciliation through inter religious dialogues
2. National Integration through language and culture
3. National Integration through the promotion of public culture of pluralism
4. National Integration through constructive handling of differences and conflicts
5. Promotion of national reconciliation among the war-affected North-East communities
6. Sinhala-Tamil integration in the Plantation areas
7. Coordination, Monitoring and Research Unit at NIPU