Strengthening participation pathways

How civic spaces in Sri Lanka are being revitalised for meaningful change

December 17, 2025

Across Sri Lanka, conversations about accountability, trust and inclusion have grown louder in recent years as citizens demand more transparent governance and meaningful participation to address ongoing challenges. The devastating economic crisis paired with the global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which deeply impacted households across the country has made revitalizing civic spaces for effective change and public dialogue a critical and urgent priority.

The crisis intensified civic activism, with communities - especially women and young people - becoming more vocal in demanding responsive and participatory governance. This shift escalated during the 2022 protests, which highlighted both widespread frustration and the strong potential for constructive civic engagement. Sri Lanka stood at a critical juncture following the election of a new parliament in 2024, presenting a unique opportunity to strengthen inclusive civil society spaces at national and subnational levels. Ensuring meaningful civic participation has become a vital building block in rebuilding public trust, improving accountability, and promoting social cohesion.

Against this backdrop, UNDP’s Promoting Participation Pathways for Human Development (3P4D) is helping Sri Lanka redefine the role of communities and civil society in shaping public life and development priorities.

A global initiative with local solutions

The 3P4D initiative is supporting five Country Offices – Kenya, Mongolia, Senegal, Somalia, and Sri Lanka – in advancing reforms that strengthen civic freedoms, participation platforms and improve the financial and institutional viability of civil society organisations.

Recognizing the disproportionate barriers faced by women’s organizations and networks, the 3P4D works to ensure that women’s organizations and networks have the support and opportunities they need to engage effectively in governance. Similarly, the initiative also addresses issues related to youth participation, acknowledging their creative and crucial role in strengthening peace and social cohesion.

These global priorities resonate strongly with Sri Lanka’s context, where recent socio-economic crises have highlighted the need for more transparent institutions and structured avenues for citizens to participate in decision-making.

Revitalizing spaces for communities to lead

The 3P4D project in Sri Lanka is built on a powerful promise that when communities are given structured, durable and effective platforms to engage with governance, they become active agents in driving solutions to development challenges, build stronger institutions and reduce the risk of conflict. UNDP is working across three provinces - Northern, Eastern and Uva - to support the formation of divisional-level civil society networks (consortiums), strengthening their organizational capacities, and connecting them with local governments and service providers.

Early achievements across the provinces

After less than one year of implementation, the 3P4D initiative is already laying strong foundations by restructuring key parliamentary oversight committees reinforcing the women’s parliamentary caucus, and by building civic engagement capacity across the three targeted provinces.

Divisional Secretariats were selected through consultations with District Secretaries and other officials, ensuring that marginalized groups and active community-based organizations were prioritized. Before forming the consortiums, UNDP introduced Community Based Organization mapping processes and a Civil Society Organization capacity assessment tool to ensure that organizations were adequately prepared to meaningfully engage in governance work.

Across the three provinces, fourteen divisional-level civil society consortiums have now been formed. These platforms bring together a diverse set of community groups, including women’s societies, youth clubs, farmer and fisheries groups, senior citizens, disability organizations, and many others. Each consortium has developed its own action plan, outlining the governance challenges, service delivery issues, and local development priorities that require collective attention.

Capacity building was a key priority during the initial phase. Five large-scale workshops were held in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, strengthening the knowledge and skills of 317 community actors. These workshops introduced tools for policy advocacy, public oversight, budget tracking, and participatory planning, ensuring community groups have the skills to effectively engage with local government institutions.

All consortiums have now begun conducting needs assessments within their respective divisions, which will inform evidence-based advocacy, support improved service oversight and champion solutions to address identified local governance issues. In the Eastern province, community needs assessments have been completed in five DS divisions, highlighting emerging issues related to peace, service delivery, and development. Members noted that this exercise was an invaluable learning experience, helping them better analyze the challenges faced by their localities.

Through establishing effective pathways for public participation, the project cultivates a more inclusive public space where citizens are actively involved in shaping the policies and services that affect their daily lives.

As one civil society representative from Ampara observed during a consultation,

“The project helps us understand how civil society can play a role in governance. We now see that our participation is not just about service delivery but also about influencing policies and decisions.”

Similar reflections emerged across multiple discussions, capturing a growing appetite among communities to move from passive recipients of services to active contributors to governance. These spaces are crucial to proactively address grievances, strengthening public trust and enhancing resilience to future shocks.

This change in perspective, from citizens viewing themselves as active partners in governance rather than beneficiaries, is vital for ensuring societies can navigate challenges peacefully. UNDP will continue to build on the project’s results, working with communities, civil society groups and governance institutions to embed citizen participation as an integral aspect of the country’s development. This is especially vital, as Sri Lanka now works to recover from the devastating impacts of Cyclone Ditwah, one of the worst natural disasters the country has seen in a decade. While recovery will be a long process, the role of citizens in influencing and supporting sustainable recovery will be essential.

UNDP’s efforts will continue to promote women’s leadership in advocacy, meaningful participation in political, economic, and social spheres, by creating structured opportunities for

dialogue between women leaders, women parliamentarians, local government councilors, and civil society. Together, these platforms will act as pathways for dialogue, collective problem-solving, sustainable civic engagement, and accountability.