Human Rights and Reconciliation in a Post-Conflict Multicultural Society

Human rights and reconciliation in a post conflict multicultural society is a project jointly conducted by the Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Peradeniya and the Department of Human rights, Religion and the Social Sciences of the University College of Southeast Norway (USN).

The primary objective of the project is promoting education, research and professional practice in the fields of human rights, reconciliation and interreligious understanding in a post-conflict multicultural society. A work package is included in the project activity plan to enable academics and students (primarily students doing their postgraduate research) to engage in joint cross sectional small-scale research on human rights in post-conflict multicultural Sri Lanka. The project is funded by the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education through the Norwegian Partnership Programme for Global Academic Cooperation (NORPART).

There are five main objectives of the project;

  • To strengthen links between education, research and professional practice in the fields of human rights, reconciliation and interreligious understanding in a post-conflict multicultural society.
  • To improve academic quality and international standing of the MSc program in Human Rights and Multiculturalism at USN
  • To develop skills and competencies of Sri Lankan professionals in human rights practice and advocacy by supporting an MSc program in Human Rights and Multiculturalism at the PGIHS of the University of Peradeniya
  • To create a framework by which researchers and postgraduate students of the two institutions collaborate in teaching and research