UN Peacebuilding Week Highlights Role of Inclusive Public Service in Sri Lanka 📈

• Overview: The United Nations in Sri Lanka organized 'Stories that Connect', an interactive dialogue event marking UN Public Service Day and UN Peacebuilding Week. The initiative emphasizes building sustainable peace and social cohesion through inclusive public service and everyday community-institution interactions. • Key Focus Areas: • Utilizing the Human Library concept to share lived experiences, challenge assumptions, and foster empathy across diverse communities. • Addressing regional reconciliation by bridging divides and enhancing community participation in local decision-making. • Sector & Institutional Involvement: • Supported by public servants from vital national sectors including the Department of Pensions, Department of Posts, Grama Niladhari Service, Gampaha District Administration, and the Ministry of Plantation & Community Infrastructure. • Community and civil society groups, such as the Uva Workers Development Foundation, participated to highlight grassroots inclusion and employment/labor perspectives. • Project Framework: • The event is a core component of the 'Social Dialogue for Peace and Crisis Prevention Project', executed alongside the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government. • Implemented via ILO, UNESCO, and UNFPA, the project is financed by the UN Sri Lanka SDG Fund with contributions from Canada, the UK, the EU, the Joint SDG Fund, and the UN Peacebuilding Fund. • National Context: Sri Lanka’s participation coincides with the inaugural global UN Peacebuilding Week, marking 20 years of the UN’s peacebuilding architecture focused on resilient societies.