STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 2021 - SRI LANKA RED CROSS SOCIETY - International Federation of ...
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STRATEGIC
PLAN
2018 - 2021
SRI LANKA RED CROSS SOCIETY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The strategic plan 2018-21 of SLRCS is developed through a rigorous consultative
process involved by various key stakeholders. The leaderships of SLRCS has provided
their visionary guidance at the inception and have followed-up the plan throughout
the process. The consultations and strategic plan development process is managed
by the strategic plan development working committee under the chairmanship
of Mr. S. H. Nimal Kumar - National Secretary - SLRCS under the auspices of the
Organizational Development sub commitee and the central goverining board.
Moreover, all other subcommittees, central governing board members, management
staff, SLRCS branches and partners have contributed through their knowladge and
experience with their inputs.
The contributions in terms of SLRCS management in overall; the administrative and
operational directions given by the Director General, Deputy Director General and
the technical supports given by the technical programme focal person and managers
attached to all the depatrments have to be commended for bringing out result
oriented outcomes in this whole exercie.
The technical expertise received from both Mr. Haritha Wedathathirige - Consultant for
strategic planning process and Mr. Sujith Shiroman the Organizational Development
focal person of the SLRCS were instrumental to bring about a very much context
relevant plan in the overall process. The International Fedaration of the Redcross and
Red cresent Societies and the International Commitee of the Red Cross at country
deligations have provided enormous support in terms of encouragements, technical
and funding assistance etc. At the tail end of the process, an invaluable support
extended by Ms. Judith Fernando with professional language edits and English proof
reading being a volunteer.
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 3Message from the President of SLRCS 2018 is a year which brings lot of changes to SLRCS. After electing grass root level and branch level governance committees, a new central governing board was elected in January 2018 for next 04-year period. The strategic plan development that was initiated in last quarter of 2017 was revisited by the newly appointed CGB and the subcommittees and further contributed to those drafted strategies. Thus, strategies that are appearing in this strategic plan have grater ownership to internal parties who involved in the process and valid for up coming four years. Together with the strategic plan the management information system (MIS) of SLRCS is being developed. The performance management system with its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are imbedded into the MIS. Hence, a user-friendly reporting and performance management tool going to be implemented at the inception of this new strategic plan and also to assess individual and collective performance of all concerned. As one SLRCS that represent the county, all our collective efforts should bring together to realize the vison of SLRCS. To ensure that our organizational strategy in this plan should be an impelling force which facilitates the implementation mechanism governed by our mission and it should be able strengthen and sustain through mobilizing all sources of resources the SLRCS and other stakeholders. I hope all our members, volunteers and staff will offer their fullest cooperation to our shared and collective vision. Jagath Abeysinghe President - SLRCS 4 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021
ABBREVIATIONS
CGB Central Governing Board
CKD Chronic Kidney Disease
DG Director General
DM Disaster Management
FYDP Five Year Development Plan
GDP Gross Domestic Production
GIS Geographical Information System
ICRC International Committee of Red Cross
ICT Information Communication Technology
ICT Information and Communication Technology
ICTA Information and Communication Technology Authority
IFRC International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies
INGOs International Non-Governmental Organizations
MDGs Millennium Development Goals
NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations
NFRI Non Food Relief Items
OCCA Overall Cross-Cutting Areas
OD Organizational Development
PNS Partner National Societies
PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
SAFE Self-Assessment for Excellence
SLRCS Sri Lanka Red Cross Society
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
VAT Value Added Tax
WF – BRE Way forwards – Beyond Re-engineering
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 5Table of Contents
Executive Summary 7
1. Introduction 10
2. Brief History of SLRCS 11
3. Legal status and recognition of SLRCS 13
4. Context Analysis 14
4.1 External Context 14
4.2 Internal Operational Context of SLRCS 19
5. Institutional Linkages 22
6. Strategic Framework of SLRCS: 2018-2021 25
6.1 SLRCS Vision 25
6.2 SLRCS Mission 25
6.3 Fundarmental Priciples Core Values 26
6.4 Strategic Aims and Enabling Actions 26
6.5 Implementation Strategy consisted with overall cross cutting areas 29
7. Implimentation Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism 32
8. How our strategic plan contributes or link with other local,
global plans and frameworks: 34
9. Conclusions and Way Forward 35
10. Reference
Annex 01: Process followed in developing the strategic plan 2018-21 37
Annex 02: The Seven Fundamental Principles of
RC/RC Movement in detailed manner 38
Annex 03: Intervention Framework with impact indicators
and main activities 39
6 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021Executive Summary
The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society has been in operation, since 1936, for over eighty
decades, in order to respond to humanitarian needs in Sri Lanka. During the last
decade or so, SLRCS has mostly been involved in areas of recovery and development.
Moreover, a huge focus has been placed on offering emergency response action to
affected communities to help them recover, with special emphasis on community
resilience. In order to be able to effectively address the humanitarian needs of
vulnerable communities over the years, SLRCS felt the need to improve upon its
strategic directions, to suit the contexts of current socio-political and socio-economic
development scenarios faced. Accordingly, the Central Governing Board of SLRCS
unanimously acknowledged the process for the development of a new strategic
plan for the years 2018-2021. A lengthy consultation process was undertaken
along with comprehensive technical reviews under the guidance of the Strategic
Plan Development Technical Working Group (SPDTWG) appointed under the OD
Subcommittee.
Sri Lanka is a country with a volatile political situation, following its transition from
major conflict scenarios in the past. Due to a rather difficult transition process from
its conflict ridden past, the country now faces many challenges, such as its people
having different views, opinions and political ideology related to diverse stakeholder
groups, which makes it extremely difficult for them to come into a common
agreement or understanding. However, it is important to take into account that the
country’s economy grew during the period of 2010-2016, reflecting a progressive
peace dividend. The present government’s attention focuses on reforms in the
areas of public finance, competitiveness, governance and in the education sector.
A significant improvement in Sri Lanka’s national and global statistical index has
been reported, meaning that the country is making an improvement in the context of
achieving its socio-economic and human development related goals. Sri Lanka’s social
indicators are ranked among the highest in South Asia, and it is at a favorable level,
compared to those in middle-income countries. However, despite the socio-economic
development seen in the country, extreme poverty is still seen in certain geographical
pockets of the country. Moreover, the country is still facing other challenges such
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 7as high rates of malnutrition, low rates of female labor force participation, and a rapid increase in its ageing population. Furthermore, the country is still struggling with issues related to the redistribution of income, social disparity and application of social justice, in addition to tackling undernutrition in the plantation sector, heavy traffic congestion on road networks, an increase in road accidents and decrease in human safety. Issues pertaining to gender, diversity, sexual orientation that is associated with stigma and discrimination, disability seen in children, women and elderly population, problems with mental health management (Trauma and PTDS) and prevention of communicable diseases, as well as non-communicable diseases such as CKD, Cancer, Diabetics, Hypertension are also reasons behind the challenges faced by the country in its social – economic development. The information and communication technology industry being one of the fastest growing industries in Sri Lanka has led to there being a substantial number of internet users in the country, a majority of them being the youth and young adult population of Sri Lanka. Rapid development of applications and immense technological innovations in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has rapidly infiltrated among internet users in Sri Lanka. Due to such rapid development in the technology industry, there is an increase in the challenges faced by the economy, such as through cybercrime, and the wrong use of social networking sites such as Facebook. Although such technological advances has greatly helped in improving both the national, as well as global development perspectives of the country, improper use of these applications, mostly by the younger generation has aided in establishing a continually growing gap among different generations, and has also resulted in diminishing many of Sri Lanka’s rich moral values. On a different note, it is true that Sri Lanka is vulnerable to recurring natural disasters. Floods and landslides have greatly affected communities of people in many different parts of Sri Lanka in the recent past. The increased frequency, severity and economic impact of natural disasters implies that Sri Lanka should increase its physical resilience to reduce impact of disasters and increase its financial resilience to deal with the impact when disaster strikes. Despite the various external challenges faced by Sri Lanka, institutional linkages and stakeholder relationships offered by SLRCS remains strong. SLRCS has a well- 8 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021
established island wide network of functional branches, divisions, and units with
many active members and volunteers. SLRCS is able to coordinate strong response
mechanisms and can afford to have surge capacities to withstand any immerging
natural disaster situation during an emergency. Moreover, SLRCS currently has
effective management policies, guidelines, tools, procedures, and organizational
performance management systems (SAFE), together with the required storage
capacities (for NFRIs). However, SLRCS should think of further strengthening its
physical capacities, staff and volunteer resource management systems in order to
retain them sustainably.
This strategic framework is set for a period of 04 years, spanning from 2018 to 2021.
Having considered all external and internal challenges, the contextual changes
proposed here would enable SLRCS to move forward strategically, with a clear idea on
how to achieve its organizational goals by means of responding to the humanitarian
needs of vulnerable communities throughout the island. This strategic plan provides
a platform for SLRCS to base its prioritization on, in order to address the needs of
vulnerable, diverse communities in need of help. This strategic framework broadly
covers organizational momentum operating through main three strategic aims:
i) Build resilience among vulnerable communities to cope with disasters and
emergencies,
ii) Reduce risks of morbidity and mortality during health emergencies and promote
healthy lifestyles amongst communities and
iii) Reduce stigma and discrimination in the society through improved community
behaviours and increase social acceptance whilst upholding human dignity,
working with different vulnerable disadvantaged groups.
Implementation of strategies are in place, with more focus placed on specific areas
SLRCS should intervene. Under each strategic aim, specific objectives have been set
with milestones, which can be achieved through enabling certain actions to take place.
In order to operationalize the strategic plan of the SLRCS towards achieving its overall
goals and milestones, the framework is equipped with an operational implementation
framework, to deliver result based outcomes through various strategies, such as:
organizational monitoring and evaluation mechanism of the core programs, financial
plan, performance management system and indicators etc… in order to enable
transparent and accountable implementation by measuring outcomes and impacts.
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 91. Introduction Due to the coverage period of the existing plan ending in December 2017, Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) has decided to develop a new strategic plan for the years 2018- 21, mainly due to internal and external context being changed quite drastically over the years. The central governing board (CGB) of SLRCS has approved the development of a new strategic plan to be effective from 2018-21, following a rigorous consultative planning process. Moreover, SLRCS has been very keen on: (a) Developing, and securing a unique identity for SLRCS, as an auxiliary to government humanitarian actions: that is, different from other NGOs and INGOs, (b) Building better focussed programmes through narrowing programming areas specifically as required and (c) Strengthening organizational capacities and capabilities. Several consultation meetings and workshops were carried out to develop the new strategic plan for 2018-2021. The technical team had large numbers of review meetings with the senior management, and Board of Governance during the process, for their guidance and directions. A comprehensive context analysis was performed to derive the strategic plan for 2018-2021. The precise process adopted in development of this strategic plan can be found in annexure 1. The SLRCS’ strategic plan spanning from 2018-2021 consists of following sections. The first section describes the brief history and legal status of SLRCS. In next section, the external environment and internal environment, where SLRCS operations are in place, are contextually analyzed. This section is focused on political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal perspectives in the current external environment. It is followed by analysis on institutional linkages and stakeholder relationships of SLRCS. Thereafter, the next section describes the Strategic Framework of SLRCS: from 2018-2021, followed by sections on monitoring and evaluation mechanism, financial projections for 2018-21, concluding with final comments, and the way forward. 10 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021
2. Brief History of SLRCS
The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society has been serving to respond to humanitarian
needs of its people over the last eight decades. In the most recent past, the SLRCS
has been engaged in providing rapid responses to disaster affected communities
during emergencies and undertaking recovery and development interventions to
recover/ restore the lives of the affected. The tragic Asian Tsunami of 2004 made
unprecedented damages to lives and properties, the SLRCS was able to effectively
respond to the crisis with the support and assistance of volunteers and the partners
of the RC/RC movement.
Following are a glimpse of services extended by SLRCS in terms of Tsunami
recovery: construction of 35,000 houses in Tsunami affected areas across the
country, reconstruction, rehabilitation and refurbishment of 70 government health
facilities, 26 water and sanitation projects: by providing improved water sources for
216,000 people, 20 school facility improvement projects including school building
reconstructions, a Nurse Training School construction project in Ampara and many
more...
Once the internal conflict, which lasted for 30 years, ended in year 2009, SLRCS
engaged in resettlement and reconciliation programs targeting North and East
bordering districts, as well as in other parts of the country. We were able to make
these programs a success, due to the immense funding support mainly received from
government of India and from RC/RC movement partners. Under this partnership, the
SLRCS was able to construct 23,000 houses in North to resettle affected communities
together with livelihood support, water and sanitation facilities etc… SLRCS also
undertook social reconciliation program targeting 410 families being the most
vulnerable. At present SLRCS is constructing 4,500 houses for estate sector workers
in the hill country.
Highlights of SLRCS’s interventions in the recent past include; community resilience
capacity building projects for 75 communities in 18 districts, various disaster risk
reduction and capacity building interventions, community-based health and first aid
projects, awareness programs on climate change adaptation, services on restoring
family links, youth and volunteer development initiatives, dengue prevention
campaigns, and responding to floods and droughts. The above mentioned examples
are considered as being a testimony of SLRCS’s capacity, as well as its services to the
community during the recent past.
The SLRCS, through its years of service, has recognized that being prepared if a
certain disaster strikes, as well as knowing what to do in these situations, therefore
reducing the risk, are key during humanitarian intervention of our society, during
pre-disaster situations, as well as when providing services in times of emergencies
and disasters. The SLRCS has confirmed its commitment towards humanitarian
service and community resilience building, in order to mainly achieve the sustainable
development goals (SDGs, declared by the UN), as stated in the Sendai Framework for
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 11action. However, the current organizational capacity of SLRCS in disaster preparedness requires improvement, in order to meet impending disaster situations in the future. The SLRCS embarked on a re-engineering process in 2009 for organizational restructuring, and the society was able to effectively and efficiently bring about organizational transformation. Strategic plan and FYDP 2009-13 developed in late 2008 and early 2009 paved way for the re-engineering process. The SLRCS is now at an important juncture to take forward vitally important reforms it has implemented since the launch of the re-engineering process in August 2009. In 2012, SLRCS launched an innovative concept “The Way forwards – Beyond Re-engineering” (WF - BRE) as the organization performance management system. “WF-BRE” was implemented during the period 2013 – 2015, which provided a strategic guide to take the organization to the next level, that is, becoming a self-sustainable Humanitarian Service Provider in Sri Lanka. At the end of strategic plan 2009-13, the strategic plan 2015-17 was developed by SLRCS once again through a comprehensive consultative planning process. In 2016, the WF-BRE was transformed into Self-Assessment for Excellence (SAFE), the new form of SLRCS organization performance management system which had many improved and customized features to branch and local context. Further, through the SAFE, a performance management system was introduced for the SLRCS headquarters as well, but there had been certain lapses on the part of the implementation of this system and the system was not put into action as planned. Moreover, the key performance indicators (KPIs) of this initial SAFE system had a mis-match with key strategic indicators of strategic plan 2015-17 as revealed in the final evaluation of implementation of strategic plan 2015-17. SLRCS commenced the strategic plan 2018-21 development process in line with current socio- economic, political trends and reorganizing the internal organizational structures and mechanisms with a strong emphasis on a clear implementation framework in terms of its operations. Another parallel process was initiated to revamp the SAFE system to align with strategic aims and indicators in the strategic plan. The new SAFE system is to be developed as a part and parcel of the management information system (MIS database) and the KPIs of new SAFE system will be derived from the key strategic indicators of this new strategic plan 2018-21 of SLRCS. 12 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021
3. Legal status and recognition of SLRCS
Sri Lanka, a State Party to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, together with other
state parties to the Geneva Conventions has accepted the presence and role of a Red
Cross/ Red Crescent (RC/RC) National Society. This is further authenticated by United
Nations Resolution 55 (1) of November 1946.
Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) is the National Society of the Red Cross in Sri
Lanka and is recognized as an auxiliary to the government in humanitarian activities
with a right to act upon the fundamental principles of the Red Cross/ Red Crescent
Movement.
The SLRCS was initially formed in 1936 as the Ceylon Central Council Branch of
the British Red Cross Society and subsequently constituted and incorporated as the
Ceylon Red Cross Society under the Royal Charter of 1951. The Ceylon Red Cross
Society was re-named as Sri Lanka Red Cross Society in 1972.
The Constitutions of Sri Lanka in 1972 and 1978 have authenticated the continuity
of all past operation of laws in force, prior to the constitutions to continue in force,
therefore to be deemed valid for all purposes. As such, both constitutions recognized
the validity of the Ceylon Red Cross Society under the Royal Charter of 1951.
Geneva Conventions Act 4 of 2006, has prohibited the use of the Emblem of the Red
Cross by unauthorized parties. Only the SLRCS, has been authorized the use of the
Emblem of the Red Cross, while the designation ‘Red Cross’ in terms of the Geneva
Conventions Act 4 of 2006, acts as the sole National Red Cross Society on the territory
of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 134. Context Analysis 4.1 External context The civil conflict which dragged for over 30 years ended in 2009, and resulted in reinstating peace and harmony amongst communities in the country, especially among people living in the North and East. Due to the prevailing progressive reconciliation and development scenarios that we are witnessing today, the country is going through immensely progressive transitional changes, such as political domain of transition to democracy, social peace and co-existence. On the other hand, the transition is a progression from a corrupt and illiberal governance, to a much accountable and citizen-friendly governance in the country. Moral approach in post–war reconciliation debates; search for truth, justice, forgiveness and healing plays a crucial role in the current political context. The present government is tackling accountability issues for violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws. However, a complex coalition political environment and institutional constraints are key challenges in government policy implementation. Different views, opinions and political ideology within the coalition government has been creating a volatile political environment, in terms of coming into common agreements and understandings. It is also led to conflict of interest among the political coalition. This has exacerbated the situation of the current political environment in terms of political ideologies of the parties and groups who tend to see the problems from their different angles, political view points and agendas. This situation causes a tendency to mislead communities in society. Thus, it is a rather difficult task to work towards a common solution to ensure the wellbeing all individuals in society. Therefore, there is the need to settle for an alternative form of dialogue, focusing on peace, reconciliation and development challenges. The main critiques among the different political parties and groups in the contemporary political environment are on 20th Amendment of the constitution and political solutions for long lasting peace building process in Sri Lanka. In this political context, the country requires a strong direction on economic, social and environmental development towards achieving the sustainable development goals. 14 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021
Sri Lanka is facing a volatile political context at present, when considering its transition
and reconciliation process. However, the growth of global economy is at a stable state,
which contributes greatly in building confidence whilst on our way forward. Global
growth is projected to be accelerating from a mere 2.4 percent in 2016, to 2.7 percent
in 2017. It is projected that 2.9 percent of global growth would be seen between 2018
and 2019. Despite the capacity of such growth, commodity prices have continued to
rise moderately in the global economy. Growth in the context of South Asia region is
forecasted to have accelerated to 6.8 percent in 2017 and is predicted to accelerate
further to 7.1 percent in 2018. India is expected to pick up to 6.8 percent in 2017
and accelerate up to 7.1 percent in 2018. The growth is anticipated to be accelerating
in Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka over the coming years. This
situation has been projected, mainly due to an expected upturn in private investment,
increased energy supply and improved security and peace (World Bank, 2017).
Sri Lanka is a Lower Middle-Income country with a total population of 21.2 million
people and GDP per capita of USD 3,835 in 2016. Sri Lanka’s economy grew at an
average 6 percent during 2010-2016, reflecting a peace dividend. The economy of Sri
Lanka has been transitioning from a previously predominantly rural-based economy
towards a more urbanized economy, oriented around manufacturing and services. The
present government focuses on reforms in the areas of public finance, competitiveness,
governance and education sectors. The contribution of the construction sector to
growth has been on the rise in recent years (World Bank, 2017). Exports still account
to 60% apparel and tea (plantation) , and worker remittances remain a major source
of foreign currency earnings (Asian Development Bank, 2017). The tourism industry
is marked as one of the fastest growing and dynamic industries in the country with
a remarkable recovery since end of the civil war in May 2009 (Fernando et al., 2017).
The tourism industry can play a catalytic role in integrating other sectors, such as
agriculture, transportation, retailing and manufacturing together, for economic
development. However, adverse weather conditions (impact of floods and prolong
droughts) in 2016 and 2017 turned the agriculture sector’s contribution to growth into
a negative while impacting related industry and service sectors. In fact, inflation in
the country has been rising from the second half of 2016. A combination of factors
including crop losses due to adverse weather conditions, past currency depreciation
and increased indirect taxes have contributed to a rise in inflation since the second
half of 2016 compared to year 2015. In addition to food inflation, the rise in prices
of health and education services with an increase in the VAT rate has been largely
contributed to current high rate of inflation (World Bank, 2017).
Sri Lanka has significantly progressed in its socio-economic and human development
aspects. Social indicators rank among the highest in South Asia and compare favorably
with those in middle-income countries. In addition, Sri Lanka has comfortably
achieved most of the MDG targets set for 2015 and was ranked 73rd in Human
Development Index in 2015 (World Bank, 2017). Nonetheless, the labor market trends
have been fluctuating during the past year. Agriculture employment keeps on falling
(from 30.2 to 27.1 percent between 2013 and 2016) while boosting productivity and
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 15contributing to continued declines in poverty. During this period, unemployment remained constant at a manageable 4.4 percent. In addition, participation of female labor forces stays low. The economic growth seen in Sri Lanka has translated into shared prosperity with national poverty headcount ratio declining from 15.3 percent in 2006 and 2007 to 6.7 percent in 2012/13.However, extreme poverty has persisted in some geographical pockets: The North, East, Estate Sector and Moneragala district where equality of opportunities in terms of access to services and linkages to the labor market is weaker. On one hand, a relatively large share of the population lives a little above the extreme poverty line. In addition, moderate poverty in the country remains high, being nearly 15 percent of the population in 2012 and 2013. A quarter of the Estate sector lived on less than $3.10 a day (World Bank, 2017). However, the country is still facing other challenges such as high rates of malnutrition, low rates of female labor force participation, and a rapidly aging population. Furthermore, the country faces challenges in terms of issues related to the redistribution of income, social disparity and social justice. In addition, tackling malnutrition on Sri Lanka’s plantations, traffic congestions on road networks, road accidents and road safety, issues of gender inequality, discrimination and sexual orientations, disability with children, women and elderly population, mental health (Trauma and PTSD) and prevention of non-communicable diseases such as CKD, Cancer, Diabetics, Hypertension are other challenges behind the lack of social – economic development of the country at present. On the other hand, the rapid advancement in technology has been an enormous influence on any society. Information and communications Technology (ICT) is an increasingly powerful tool for participating in global markets, promoting political accountability, improving the delivery of basic services and enhancing local development opportunities. Telecommunication is one of the fastest growing technological sectors in Sri Lanka. There are a substantial number of internet users in the population. The majority of internet-users are youths and young adults. New development application and technological innovations in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) rapidly infiltrated among the users in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, Geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing applications (RS) have gone through a substantial development, with regards to its use in disaster preparedness, mapping and database applications for operational planning, quick and effective decision making, and rapid response. In addition, the development of applications on social media influences the organizational and business context for the people of Sri Lanka and its impacts on youth engagement. However, there is a rapidly evolving challenge, such as cybercrime and the unlawful engagement of youth, through facebook and other social media platforms, that has come along with the new development in ICT. Hence, the national ICT policy initiatives of ICTA should be a key consideration when moving forward, towards E-governance. Besides ICT development, positive policy level movements could be observed on 16 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021
green technological applications taken onboard by the government. However, there
are still gaps in the application of green management to the public, private and
other organizations, which leads to a low ecological footprint towards addressing
sustainability, thus, minimizing the impact of climate change and negative
consequences of natural disasters and environmental degradation. Impacts of
climate change are threatening over every conceivable level; global, regional, national
and local, and this calls for multi-level action. The level of vulnerability for risk of
disaster has been increased globally over the past period. In global response to this
situation, Sendai framework for Disasters Risk Reduction for the years 2015-2030 was
developed by UNISDR.
Sri Lanka, a tropical country, is highly vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate
change. Consequences of climate change such as temperature rise, rainfall variability
and sea level rise are critically affecting almost all economic sectors of the country.
Emerging evidence from various sources suggest that climate change could alter
natural systems connected to water cycle, eco systems and bio-diversity of the country
(Eriyagama et al., 2010; Marambe et al., 2012; ME, 2012; Weerahewa et al., 2012). This
could lead to the decline of various ecosystem services that are indispensable for the
welfare of human population. Impacts of climate change appear to have significant
repercussions on health of citizens and human settlements of the country too (ME,
2010 b and c). Occurrences of natural disasters due to extreme weather conditions
such as prolonged droughts, flash floods and landslides deprive lives and livelihoods
of people.
Sri Lanka is vulnerable to recurring natural disasters with a significant economic,
fiscal and social impact. Sri Lanka underwent two severe weather events in 2016:
floods and landslides in the spring of 2016 and a severe drought in the fall of 2016.
The floods and landslides largely affected more urban areas. The most severely
affected were Colombo and Gampaha districts, which are less poor than the national
average. However, their high population density makes these districts the home to
majority of the poor and as well as the bottom 40 percent of the poor community.
The population affected in these two districts was 302,874, which is more than 50
percent of the total population affected by the floods. The 2016-2017 droughts, which
followed the floods, was one of the worst in Sri Lanka, and caused around 227,000
households to become insecure of food in the affected areas. It is expected that
the deterioration of the food security status will continue until the harvest in March
2018. For example, the May 2016 floods and landslides had a total estimated impact
of a loss of LKR 100 billion. The damage was mainly to the private sector (housing,
industry and commerce) and the public-sector damage was mainly in infrastructure
and the transport sector. Furthermore, floods and landslides in late May 2017 have
affected districts in the South-West, affecting more than half a million people and
causing 213 deaths and the disappearance of 77 people. This disaster destroyed over
3000 houses and partially damaged more than 20,000 houses (World Bank, 2017). The
increased frequency, severity and economic impact of natural disasters means that
Sri Lanka should increase its physical resilience to reduce impact of disasters and
increase its financial resilience to deal with the impact when disaster strikes.
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 17A relatively small group of health conditions is responsible for a large part of the disease burden in Sri Lanka; non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Current evidence indicates that the impact of five types of NCDs (i.e. cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and mental disorders) are alarming. According to WHO noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) cause more than three quarters of all deaths and nearly 1 in 5 people die prematurely from a NCD. This is fuelled by tobacco use, unhealthy diet, harmful use of alcohol and physical inactivity. NCDs are a leading threat to health and development. Yet, these diseases are preventable. By eliminating shared risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol, almost 80% of heart diseases, stroke and type 2 diabetes and over a third of all cancers could be prevented. In addition, improved disease management can reduce morbidity, disability and death and contribute to better health outcomes. Overall, proven cost-effective strategies do exist to prevent and control this growing burden. A major demographic transition is taking place in Sri Lanka, the number of older people is increasing considerably. Decreasing fertility rates and increasing longevity will lead to the continued ageing of Sri Lankan population. This demographic change confronts with complex challenges and raises questions concerning the active role of older people within the social system, their participation in society, their quality of life, well-being, their autonomy, as well as the inter-dependence and communication between generations. Being old is one reason for increased risk of poor health, social and economic uncertainty, social isolation and limited access to affordable, high- quality health and social services. In addition, legal reforms support the implementation of good governance with related policy changes in Sri Lanka. In a landmark improvement of transparency and governance, the Government passed the Right to Information Act in 2016. Furthermore, a proposed Audit Bill will provide for greater administrative and financial independence. The present government’s decision on drafting a comprehensive Public Finance Act will provide clarity on roles and responsibilities in the management of public assets and improve budget credibility for the country to move forward. These, legal reforms provide a platform address corruption issues with improvement of 18 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021
transparency and governance in the country. In conclusion, the external context at
present reflects a mixed volatile environment which is the same operational context
in which the SLRCS should operate. Perhaps, this could be changed over time. However,
the comprehensive consideration of these critical issues and reviews is crucial to
formulate sound strategic directions for SLRCS.
4.2 Internal Operational Context of SLRCS
Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) is a reputed humanitarian organization, its
headquarters located in Colombo with the island wide network of functional
25 branches which are currently dedicated to each district with a diverse active
membership of around 240,000 and 6,500 volunteers. Apart from branches in each
district there are divisions and grassroot level unit structures in function further
down the line under the constituency of the branches. Under the policy directives
of SLRCS and the statutory mandated bodies (CGB and Branches), humanitarian
operations of the SLRCS are managed and implemented through the staff available
with headquarters and branches. In addition to this, those divisions and units are at
functional state through volunteers up to the grassroot level. There are well trained
and reasonably experienced staff and volunteers dedicated towards the operation of
SLRCS under designated projects and programs. We consider them the back bone and
the key assets of SLRCS available at all times to deliver our humanitarian mandates
and undertakings. The strong affiliation with the international components of RC/RC
movement and its partners has greatly influenced SLRCS to gain global recognition
for its services and has created an identity for SLRCS, that being an auxiliary to the
government of Sri Lanka. Moreover, SLRCS also has a strong brand name as the
recognized National Society as per Geneva convention mandates and under the
principle of unity. Nevertheless, the positive image for SLRCS among the donors and
public as a leading humanitarian organization has laid a solid foundation for the
organization to carry out day-to-day humanitarian work. Besides the above-mentioned
strengths and capacities, with years of exposure in the field, SLRCS maintains a good
relationship with its diverse stakeholder groups. The SLRCS is equipped with strong
response mechanisms within its operational framework, in case of an emergency.
In an organizational perspective, SLRCS is fairly equipped with effective organizational
policies, guidelines, procedures, performance management system (SAFE) etc…
together with other tools, mechanisms and manuals to steer the organization
towards achieving result-oriented goals and outcomes in all humanitarian endeavors,
to give relief and mitigate sufferings of the vulnerable. However, with the onset of any
form of impending/ emerging adverse situations beyond our capacities, the SLRCS
must further strengthen its surge capacities, its staff and volunteer management
structures, to retain any operations that may go above threshold sustainably.
Capacity enhancement is not adequate in some branches, and a limited number of
staff cannot cope up with necessary obligations. In addition, there are some lapses on
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 19the part of the management system to improve its quality of work, improve the use of human resources that may be lying idle, make improvements to policies, guidelines and tools of finance and logistics management etc… and in certain instances improve its approach in service delivery especially during times of an emergency attack. The resource mobilization capacity and policy level guidance for resource generation is not at its peak, which is much visible at the headquarters, especially in its support service delivery. Lack of proper fund management/allocations policies and principles in place, may lead to issues pertaining to transparency and accountability. Considerably, different branches are comparatively at various statuses, in terms of income generation aspects, and they, therefore, sustain themselves with branch led programs, without the support of the SLRCS headquarters, even in a scenario of a zero-project funding situation. The branches are now encouraged to give back funding support to headquarters to secure and sustain the national structure during its passage of transition to transforming the organization to another level. However the success story of SLRCS is being evident in terms of resource mobilization, the current legal status of SLRCS has created legal barriers towards the income generation, both at headquarters and branches, which is an area of preference to be addressed immediately. Policy/ guideline implementation, monitoring towards adherence to policies and maintaining quality standards of services remain as challenges to address in core service programs and in support services as well. Technical caliber of key programmatic focal positions in headquarters must be upgraded as per internal human resources capacity analysis. Moreover, the team spirt needed for integrated programming among department/ units and inter sectoral coordination are the pivotal factors that needs to be addressed to achieve organizational structural excellence. In addition, there is a huge competition among many, in the external environment for limited resources and humanitarian space to precede with humanitarian actions in the current context. For example, ambulance services, elderly care, first aid training and services are highly competitive. Amongst the diminished donor support towards Sri Lanka and increased number of local actors operating in country, the SLRCS must operate in a tough and competitive environment where capitalizing on competitive 20 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021
advantages have become a must for achieving success. For example, public and
private media play a role on influencing humanitarian actions and programs. Many
external organizations have been adapting cash-based incentive systems to enhance
their organizational performance, even though there is a lack of such a system with
SLRCS. However, SLRCS has a unique identity on its First Aid services, disaster response
and recovery interventions and that could be capitalized in entering partnerships
and collaborating with competitors to minimize affecting SLRCS humanitarian
intervention.
Although it is quite challenging, there are good opportunities which have highly
potential to be capitalized by SLRCS. The current political environment is favorable
for organizational operations in humanitarian actions. SLRCS was established by the
Royal Charter during the British period. Hence, there is an opportunity for SLRCS
to upgrade its legal status through advocating the government to pass the SLRCS
Act. In addition, training and development opportunities for the staff and volunteers
are continuously available at International RC/RC movements. These opportunities
should be taped by SLRCS to further strengthen the capacity of staff and volunteers
in humanitarian actions and emergency responses. Moreover, there is an opportunity
for SLRCS to mobilize local resources through its branch network. A nationally
recognized First Aid curriculum of SLRCS can be promoted among the stakeholders
and community for humanitarian response. Furthermore, well trained and established
preparedness and surge capacity to response in emergencies/ disaster can be used as
the strength of SLRCS for its positioning among public.
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 215. Institutional Linkages Institutional linkages and stakeholder relationships of SLRCS remain strong. At both national and district level, the organizations relationship with the government is very good. Ministry of Health, public health authorities, blood bank and grass root level health officials (MOH, DMO) do engage with SLRCS in various public health promo- tions. However, this relationship with the ministry must be further emphasized, since it is a continuous process and the government authorities must recognize the man- dated auxiliary role of SLRCS. At present, most government authorities and officials are not aware of the auxiliary role that SLRCS plays as the RC/RC national society of Sri Lanka as per the Geneva conventions ratified and accepted by Government of Sri Lanka on 06th September 1952. In addition, SLRCS has been recognized by Disaster Management Centre (DMC) in its disaster management national road map as a key player in assisting the government in its national disaster management plan, espe- cially in disaster response, preparedness and risk reduction initiatives. Nevertheless, the SLRCS has taken some initiatives with Ministry of Environment and Natural Re- sources to promote adaptive mitigation measures on climate change, leaving space to incorporate more into the country’s action plan. Besides, SLRCS has paved a path for partnerships in joint humanitarian interventions with some UN agencies, INGOs and local NGOs. The partnership between SLRCS with UNDP and UNICEF; small and medium grant program, is evident by the climate change adaptation measures, water catchment area protection, water and sanitation, Nutrition projects implemented with the above mentioned organizations, respectively in the recent past. Moreover, OXFAM Australia, Plan International, Rhythm Foundation have partnered with SLRCS in several water and sanitation, livelihood development and disaster risk reduction projects. The support received from Government of India for Northern housing construction projects for returnee families after the civil war (23,000 house in North) and ongoing estate housing construction project in hill country (4,500 houses) are some of SLRCS’s great achievements. The family empowerment, water & sanitation projects implemented with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support of John Keels (Pvt) Ltd, health camps conducted for recent flood affected communities with ZHONTIAN CONSTRUCTION GROUP (Chinese Company), Hiru TV, ITN and Derana TV are several successful collaborations of SLRCS for its endeavors. Moreover, several branches also have successful in implementing CSR projects. For example, school safety program conducted by the Gampaha branch, in collaboration with Toyota Lanka is an example of a branch level successful program. However, within this highly competitive environment, there are plenty of opportunities to build partnerships with private sector organizations in the current context. Careful selection is a must within a sound partnership strategy. On the other hand, cooperation among Red Cross movement partners (IFRC, ICRC and other Partner National Societies - PNSs) could be considered as an additional strengthening factor for SLRCS, because, whilst enhancing transparency, 22 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021
accountability and capacity building supports can be received from the movement
partners. The roles of Red Cross/Red Crescent movement partners and an analysis
of current partnership status is mentioned below with the idea to have an improved
relationship towards the implementation of this strategic plan.
The Federation (IFRC) assist national societies for disaster response, recovery and
reconstruction to assist victims of disasters, and combines this with development
work to strengthen the capacities of its member National Societies. In exercising
its roles and responsibilities, IFRC has a network of country offices, country cluster
officers, zonal offices and the main secretariat in Geneva. The Federation is the
overall mandated regulatory body of all national societies operating all over the
globe, therefore, it must closely supervise and support the national society’s statutory
and operational technical functions. Besides, it needs to modify the enhancements
of its approach, and grant its support towards the technical and other support
service functions of the national society (SLRCS), in fulfilling its obligation in terms of
providing membership services in a more systematical and coherent manner in the
direction of organization development and capacity building initiatives.
Furthermore, in terms of the Federation roles and functions in its monitoring and
evaluation aspects, it has to devise clear tools and mechanisms to monitor the
adherence of global and national level policies and related matters, legal base,
management/operational technical aspects as well as overall accountability
obligations of the society at large, both at governance and management level. Therefore,
internal analysis of the SLRCS look for the federation’s enhanced role to consolidate
its position at country level by strengthening its presence, having established its
solid structure/ human resources in a more productive and cost-efficient manner
to maximize its technical support service towards SLRCS. The Federation national
structure in Sri Lanka was strengthened in order to seek its support to lobby in joint
hand with the SLRCS in its efforts of fundraising/ resource mobilization and capacity
building etc…,by strengthening coordination amongst partner national societies and
external donor institutions to extract opportunities and support for humanitarian
needs.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) began working in Sri Lanka in
1989, providing humanitarian assistance to people affected by the uprising of the
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 23Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and the armed conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Today, the ICRC focuses on addressing the remaining humanitarian needs of the population affected by the past conflicts, notably in the field of Missing and Detention. Moreover, the ICRC promotes and strengthens knowledge of international humanitarian law among armed forces, the authorities, civil society, academic circles and trained armed forces to apply international legal standards in search, arrest and detention procedures. It also works closely with the Ministry of Health and the domestic forensic community to ensure that the remains of victims of conflict/violence and disasters are handled with dignity and are professionally managed. Currently, ICRC Sri Lanka Delegation works closely with the SLRCS and provides its support in the realization of its work, such as in restoring family links, dissemination/promotion of the universal humanitarian principles, first aid, emergency preparedness and response capacity building of SLRCS including first aid and the integration of the Safer Access Framework. During Tsunami operations there were 23 partner national societies (PNSs) assisting SLRCS’s operations, and all of those have left the country after completing their projects. Currently, several PNSs such as: the Chinese Red Cross, Singapore Red Cross, Qatar Red Crescent, Kuwait Red Crescent, German Embassy, Chinese Embassy are having bilateral projects with SLRCS to serve affected communities during the recent floods. However, SLRCS has enormous potential to strengthen ties with other PNSs who assisted SLRCS during the Tsunami for future operation through promotion of partnership principles. Furthermore, SLRCS has recognized that strong partnerships at international, national and local levels are vital to acquire thorough understanding of the situations where successful delivery of humanitarian assistance is required. 24 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021
6. Strategic Framework of SLRCS: 2018-2021
The strategic plan 2018-2021 provides strategic direction for SLRCS to deliberately
move forward with clear guidance to achieve organizational goals through addressing
needs of communities. Also, the plan will guide the society to address challenges
revealed with analysis of the external environment and contextual changes within
the next four years through its strong enabling actions. Furthermore, the plan
provides a platform to prioritize and address prevalent local needs and vulnerabilities
of diverse communities, to create safe living, and to help them reconcile, bringing
harmony and peaceful co-existence among the different communities. Thus, this
plan is brought forward with the intention to contribute to the socio - political and
economic transformation in Sri Lanka as stated within the core values and mandate
of SLRCS.
6.1 SLRCS Vision
“Communities vulnerable to risks and hazards are resilient and treated with respect
and dignity”
6.2 SLRCS Mission
“Enhance volunteer actions, maximize capacities and mobilize resources to build
community resilience and create a safer environment for those exposed to disas-
ters, emergencies and social exclusions”
Moreover, the leaders of SLRCS has decided to work towards the following:
a) Developing and securing a unique identity for SLRCS as an auxiliary to government
humanitarian actions: different from other NGOs, INGOs,
b) Better focussed programmes through narrowing down program areas with
c) Strengthened organizational capacities aligned with development strategies.
Accordingly, the overall organizational development strategy explained below has
been carefully focused on the criteria stated above.
STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021 256.3 Fundamental Principles and Core Values There are seven fundamental principles and six core values in the RC/RC movement which are recognized as a movement within all three components (IFRC, ICRC, PNSs). The aforesaid fundamental principles: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary service, Unity and Universality can be found in much detail within annexure 02. The core values of the Federation and the national societies are given below: People: We build the capacities of people and communities to work in solidarity, in order to find sustainable solutions for their most pressing needs and vulnerabilities. Integrity: We work in accordance with our Fundamental Principles in a transparent and accountable manner. Partnership: As members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, guided by its statutes, we cooperate with governments, and with other organizations in line with the Fundamental Principles, without compromising our emblems and the independence, impartiality and neutrality that they represent. Diversity: We respect the diversity of the communities we work with and of our volunteers, members and staff, based on non-discrimination and our principles of impartiality, unity and universality. Leadership: We show leadership and strive for excellence in our work, drawing attention to the rights, needs and vulnerabilities of communities and the factors that underline them. Innovation: We draw inspiration from our shared history and tradition, but are equally committed to finding creative, sustainable solutions to problems that threaten human well-being and dignity in a changing world. (Source: Strategy 2020) 6.4 Strategic Aims and Enabling Actions These strategic aims focus on the overwhelming and continuity of the mandate of the SLRCS as a leading organization responding to humanitarian needs in Sri Lanka. Hence, a three principle strategic aim has been formulated with a view to build resilient communities against risks and vulnerabilities, in order to have an effective response to public health emergencies, reducing stigma and discrimination in the civil society. These strategic aims hope to reduce and prevent the underlying causes of vulnerabilities in communities. Hence, aligning with each strategic aim, enabling actions are identified to facilitate response actions and address capacity building/ institutional development to realize positive changes in the community at large. These enabling actions are more focused on enhancing program delivery capacities in the areas of disaster management, healthcare and social inclusion etc… 26 | STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 - 2021
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