2017 as the Year for Poverty Alleviation – Inaugural National Consultation

CEPA convened a national-level consultation to build synergies between a variety of different stakeholders whose interests and expertise lie in poverty alleviation and related subjects. In this inaugural consultation, CEPA invited a selected group of policy makers, researchers and practitioners with the aim of identifying strategies for research policy intervention and programming. The consultation brought together 175 participants from multilateral organisations, bilateral organisations, non-governmental organisations, members of the public working at ground level at a regional level, government officials from the districts as well as national level institutions, the private sector and policy makers. CEPA as always greatly values the importance of bringing diverse groups of people together and forging collaboration and engagement between them. There was a high level of regional participation from Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Welikanda and Elahera and other major cities. They represented a cross section of society as well as different levels of involvement, ranging from community leader to Grama Niladhari to a District Secretary and Provincial Council senior bureaucrats.