While many are optimistic about the Maithripala Sirisena government’s ability to make progress on reconciliation, some systemic issues need to be addressed which not only demands political will, but also requires cooperation from diaspora, civil society and all sections of Lankan society. Click here to read full paper

A five-member delegation from Nepal, led by Abdul Razzak, Member of Parliament (Nepali Congress Party) and comprising Dr Jagat Bahadur Pathak, Dr C B Pun, Gopi Prasad and Hira KC as members of the delegation, visited the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) on 29 Apr 2016 for a discussion on India-Nepal relations in the present context. It may be recalled that bilateral ties between India and Nepal have been on a roller coaster in recent times, especially since the breakout of protests by Madhesi people in the lower regions of Nepal.

The VIF on 14 April 2016 hosted hon’ble Jayampathy Wickramaratne, Member of Parliament (Sri Lanka) and Chairman of the Committee on Constitution Reforms for an interaction on the Constitution-making process in Sri Lanka, a process that got underway in January 2016 with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe setting up a committee of experts in his office to assist legislators in drafting a new Constitution.

Leading a six-member Nepalese Civil society delegation, Mr. Daman Nath Dhungana, a legal luminary in Nepal and former Speaker of the House of Representative, visited the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) on 27 January 2016 for an interaction, focusing on the ongoing Madhesi uprising in Nepal. Mr Padma Ratna Tuladhar, Mr Vijay K Karna, Mr Tula Narayan Shah, Mr Dipendra Jha, and Mr Krishna Chaudhary were other members of the delegation.