[{"bbox": [96, 151, 1145, 419], "category": "Text", "text": "strained. There are continuing reports of enhanced surveillance by police and security forces. Organisations that are predominantly development oriented maintain a better working relationship with government authorities. In some cases, these relationships have graduated to substantive collaborations and partnerships with a high degree of engagement and trust on the part of the government counterpart, as exemplified notably in the health sector during the Covid-19 pandemic or in the fight against gender-based violence. Local organisations operating at the district level often have a closer relationship with the state bureaucracy given their proximity, frequency of interactions and trust earned over time. Some of these organisations expanded the scope of their development work into more sensitive themes such as women's participation in politics and civic roles in local governance. The space for such collaborative work at the local level shows potential for expansion. This is an important 'bridge' between the public authorities and CSOs, which could be further promoted."}, {"bbox": [96, 428, 1145, 510], "category": "Text", "text": "In some cases, these collaborations have evolved into some form of policy dialogue between civil society and governmental agencies at various levels, for instance in the areas of environment, gender equality, good governance or SME development just to name a few."}, {"bbox": [96, 520, 1145, 656], "category": "Text", "text": "The NGO Secretariat ensures that all NGOs functioning in Sri Lanka are registered and functioning within the frame of government policies. It has been placed under the purview of the Ministry of Public Security since July 2022. NGOs have reported being subjected to burdensome reporting requirements on projects activities, finances and beneficiaries. NGOs receiving foreign funding are monitored by the authorities. An NGO Bill which is still in the making would further impact the way NGO would operate in the country."}, {"bbox": [96, 665, 1145, 880], "category": "Text", "text": "Over time, gender equality has become a central theme of the work carried out by CSOs in Sri Lanka. Some organisations focus exclusively their work on gender-related issues while others have incorporated it as a cross-cutting issue. Key topics include sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), livelihoods as well as women's role/participation in politics. Transitional justice-related issues linked to disappearances and economic empowerment of female-headed households remain high priorities for organisations active in the Northern and Eastern provinces. There is a myriad of gender approaches used by different CSOs and donors. There is some criticism on the clarity and soundness of these approaches, as well as on the sometimes top-down approach adopted by gender equality promoters."}, {"bbox": [96, 890, 1145, 1211], "category": "Text", "text": "Financial viability and organisational capacity for most CSOs remain structurally weak. In addition, Sri Lankan CSOs often lack clearly defined governance structures and a very low number of qualified individuals are engaged in the sector, making it difficult to fill senior positions. Training is mostly provided in Colombo and tailored to the implementation of specific projects rather than for building organisational capacities. There is also lack in transparency and in many cases financial management systems, including procedure manuals and accounting system, are weak. There is however an important distinction to make here between Colombo-based central organisations and local organisations. The former are more likely to have clearly defined missions, better financial management and engage in strategic planning as compared to the local ones. However, these organisations focus less on the implementation of their strategic plans. In contrast, smaller organisations operating at the local level often have greater flexibility and are able to quickly adapt to community needs and priorities as civil society networks and coalitions are often formed around a specific issue or in specific context. Overall, civil society remains rather fragmented."}, {"bbox": [96, 1221, 1145, 1408], "category": "Text", "text": "The emergence of new forms of youth-led organisations working for social change with their own perspectives and strategies of actions is to be noted. These organisations may take a different form than the old traditional models of CSOs, with a strong and active presence on social media platforms where most of the younger generation interact. Furthermore, regarding people with disabilities, despite being the biggest single minority (most of them below the poverty line), they have been historically marginalized from decision making processes and continue to face serious challenges with regard to their participation and representation in such processes due to systematic barriers which includes structural, social and legal and other policy barriers."}, {"bbox": [96, 1418, 1145, 1475], "category": "Text", "text": "Empowering civil society while providing necessary space for their functioning in all its diversity is discussed in the regular EU-Sri Lanka political and policy dialogue with the government and in the context of GSP+ monitoring."}, {"bbox": [96, 1484, 1145, 1593], "category": "Text", "text": "The response of the EU includes support to CSOs under the thematic instruments. Further support to the CSOs is needed to address existing challenges. Therefore, the EU envisages to strengthen CSOs capacities in response to the socio-economic challenges, to establish a continuous dialogue between the EU and CSOs as well as with the authorities, and to closely coordinate with other donors and implementing partners."}, {"bbox": [1027, 1654, 1145, 1682], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 4 of 13"}]