A special meeting between the administration of the Jaffna District Non-Governmental Organizations Consortium and the Hon. Governor of the Northern Province, N. Vethanayahan, was held today – on Tuesday, 07 April 2026, at the Governor’s Secretariat.
During the discussion, various important matters, including the improvement of livelihoods of the people in Jaffna District, solutions to social issues, and the future activities of civil society organizations, were discussed in detail.
The representatives of the network informed the Governor that a special conference is being planned in Colombo to bring together representatives of donor agencies, embassies, and various organizations with the aim of promoting the development of the Province. Although the conference has been slightly delayed due to the war situation in the Gulf region, the Governor’s advice and guidance were sought on organizing the event in a manner that would help secure financial and technical resources for the five districts of the Northern Province once the situation improves.
Furthermore, a proposal was made to establish a ‘Northern Province Non-Governmental Organizations Union’ by integrating the non-governmental organization networks of the five districts in the Northern Province. In this regard, a request was made to invite five representatives from each district through the respective District Secretaries and to convene a meeting at the Governor’s Secretariat.
It was also emphasized that members of the network should be provided with appropriate opportunities, as community representatives, to reflect the voice of civil society in the programmes implemented by government departments.
The meeting also discussed in depth the challenges faced by economically disadvantaged and landless wage labourer families. As these families are at a high risk of being exposed to anti-social activities such as drug abuse and violent behaviour, the importance of integrating them into the social mainstream was strongly emphasized. It was further requested that coordination be made with the heads of relevant departments to take necessary steps to provide land rights to such families who have been residing for more than a decade on lands that remain unclaimed.
In addition, the creation of employment opportunities for the youth of the province and their overall empowerment were also discussed in detail.
The Hon. Governor, giving special attention to the requests made by the Consortium representatives, outlined the measures already initiated by the provincial administration for the benefit of the public. He further assured that full opportunities will be provided for future collaboration with civil society organizations to promote the social and economic development of the province.
