Locations
Towards a More Impactful and Scalable Government-Led Empowerment Programme in Sri Lanka
The Government of Sri Lanka’s Empowerment Programme aims to improve the livelihoods and welfare of vulnerable households receiving social assistance, many of whom are engaged in informal and precarious work. The programme provides a combination of skills development, business support, coaching and mentoring, and measures to strengthen household and community resilience.
This joint programme, implemented by the Government of Sri Lanka in partnership with the World Bank, ILO and UNDP, supports efforts to increase and sustain the impact of the Empowerment Program and inform its future scale-up. The joint programme explores three areas with potential to strengthen productive inclusion: market linkages for programme beneficiaries; improved access to appropriate financial services; and community-based care solutions.
UNDP's Contribution
UNDP supports the programme's work on improving access to financial services through Samurdhi Banks, with a focus on understanding the barriers faced by vulnerable households and entrepreneurs and developing more accessible financial products.
UNDP's activities contribute to generating evidence on people's awareness and use of Samurdhi Bank financial products, identifying barriers to access, and informing the design and testing of a tailored financial product for vulnerable households.
The programme aims to contribute to:
Partnerships
The programme is implemented in close collaboration with the Department of Samurdhi Development and the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, with technical and operational contributions from the World Bank, ILO, and UNDP.
Government ownership and stakeholder engagement are embedded throughout implementation, including through the Empowerment Programme Steering Committee, consultations with relevant government and non-government stakeholders, and periodic discussions and field-level engagement.
Grievance and Feedback
UNDP is committed to ensuring that people and communities affected by its activities can raise concerns and provide feedback safely and transparently.
Individuals or organisations may raise concerns relating to UNDP-supported activities under this programme, including concerns regarding the conduct of personnel, consultations or engagement processes, or other aspects of implementation.
To submit a grievance or provide feedback: ayushka.nugaliyadda@undp.org.
Concerns and feedback will be handled through the applicable UNDP grievance and feedback procedures. Raising a concern will not affect an individual's eligibility for, or access to, government services or programme benefits.