Project profile — Towards a Landmine-Free Sri Lanka: The HALO Trust

• Sri Lanka (100.00%)

• Conflict Prevention And Resolution, Peace And Security: Removal of land mines and explosive remnants of war (15250) (100.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Nutrition (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)

This project aims to clear approximately 359,000 square meters of landmine-affected areas in northern Sri-Lanka, in order to allow resettlement and increased security of vulnerable and displaced populations. Project activities include: 1) clearing landmines from residential areas; 2) repairing infrastructure, such as a water reservoirs and irrigation systems; 3) gender-sensitive employment practices used by the project partner, HALO Trust, including promoting women to supervisory positions in an equitable manner. Approximately 13,900 people (of which 52% are women and girls) are expected to benefit from the project in the short-term, including over 3,750 long-term internally displaced people who are expected to have increased access to their home areas in the Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts in northern Sri Lanka.

The expected outcomes of the project include: 1) increased access to resettlement by internally displaced, landmine-affected people in Sri Lanka; 2) increased access to public services by landmine-affected people in Sri Lanka; and 3) increased access to livelihoods opportunities for landmine-affected women and men in Sri Lanka, particularly for women.

Result achieved at the end of the project (March 2023) includes: cleared about 316,065m2 of land within Kilinochchi, Jaffna, and Mullaitivu Districts in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. The clearance teams found and safely destroyed 3,079 items of explosive ordnance. This project enabled the release of 389,900m2 of land back to landowners and local communities. The release of land previously contaminated with explosive ordnance provided new livelihood opportunities and improved incomes and agricultural potential. They increased the economic resilience of conflict-affected communities. Overall, the project directly benefited 8,069 women, men, girls, and boys, and indirectly impacted 18,441 people.

• Proactive disclosure