One of our main activities is organising and hosting Luncheon Briefings on pertinent topics of EU-Asia relations. Beginning with an informal lunch, the Briefings usually last for 1.5 hours, including questions.

Attendees include EIAS members and other interested parties.

Experts wishing to discuss a possible topic for a Lucheon Briefing are invited to contact EIAS Direct Dr Willem van der Geest.

Conflict Resolution in Sri Lanka: Forging a Multiparty Stakeholder Dialogue on Peace Building
Thursday, 1 June, 2006 from 13h00 – 14h30

Speaker: Mr. Janaka Ranatunga, Deputy Director, One-Text Initiative, Sri Lanka
Chair: Mr Malcolm Subhan, Vice-Chair, European Institute for Asian Studies

Listen to an interview with the speaker (mp3)

The European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS) is honoured to welcome Mr. Janaka Ranatunga to its premises to discuss the situation in Sri Lanka and examine the status of peace building efforts. What opportunities and challenges exist for stakeholders wanting to forge a dialogue for peace? Can different narratives and positions be brought together to create a common approach to the Peace Process?

Mr Ranatunga is Deputy Director of the Sri Lanka One-Text Initiative, a systematic process supporting Sri Lankan peace building by eliciting the underlying interests and needs of multiple parties and people, providing the space (physically and virtually) to jointly explore and develop options. The stakeholders of One Text are representatives from almost all political parties including the government party and the militant group, who are the main protagonists of the conflict, in addition to civil society organizations. All operational, content and policy matters of this Initiative are determined by the participating political parties, organizations and various citizens’ groups. One Text Initiative is the only multi party stakeholder dialogue on peace building at track two level in Sri Lanka.

Listen to an interview with the speaker (mp3)