AIT and the Government of Sri Lanka have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) for exchange of cost effective and environmental
friendly technology for constructing houses.
This landmark MOU was signed by the AIT President Said Irandoust and
Mr S.M.A.L. Gunathilaka, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Common
Amenities during the recent visit of the AIT delegation to Sri Lanka.
The MoU was signed in the presence of the Hon. Minister of Housing and
Common Amenities, Mr. Gitanjana Gunawardena.
A low cost and environmental friendly technology has been developed by
the Centre for Housing, Planning and Building and the Habitat Centre of
the AIT.
AIT's Habitat Centre, together with the Centre under the Housing
Ministry, intend to jointly submit bids for rebuilding of communities,
housing, schools and health centers in post Nargis Settlement areas,
especially for big projects under UNICEF, Red Cross and other agencies
in Myanmar.
Preceding the signing of the MoU, AIT President had a detailed
discussion with the Hon Minister, Secretary, Chairman, National Housing
Development Authority and Private Secretary to Hon Minister. The
discussions centered around what additional role AIT can play
especially in the North-Eastern part of Sri Lanka for training in
capacity development and human resource development, especially for
those persons that will be resettled after the cessation of the
violence and the ushering in of a new era of peace and
togetherness.
AIT President explained to the Minister that it is the intention of
AIT to assist in such efforts, and that he will be sending a group of
faculty experts from AIT in the areas of Fisheries, Aquaculture,
Agriculture etc, as well as Extension Director to visit the
North-Eastern part of Sri Lanka. This delegation will undertake a need
based assessment and prepare a comprehensive proposal on the types of
training that AIT can deliver to uplift the livelihood of people in
these areas and hasten their induction into the mainstream.
The Minister informed the AIT President that this visit of AIT is very
timely and would be appreciated by the Sri Lankan Government. This
visit needs to be channeled and coordinated by the Ministry of Nation
Building which has been entrusted by the President of Sri Lanka to
resettle the peoples affected in the conflict zones. Mr Basil
Rajapakse, who is the Senior Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka, and
Chief Adviser to this Ministry, has been appointed as the focal person,
along with Mr Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the President for this
task.
Mr Sanjeev Jayasinghe will undertake the task of coordinating and
arranging a meeting of the AIT President with the Ministry of Nation
Building.
They also discussed the role of AIT in assisting the government in
de-mining areas to facilitate future settlements. AIT President
mentioned that an AIT alumnus has played a major role as part of an
organization that helped to de-mine areas in Cambodia. He stated that
the AIT will try and arrange a similar program of cooperation between
Thailand, AIT and Sri Lanka in this important area.
During the AIT delegation's visit in Sri Lanka, the delegation also
followed up on the Parliament Lake Project in Sri Lanka. The AIT
delegation has agreed to follow up on this matter with the Sri Lanka
Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (www.landreclamation.lk/index1.php),
and to jointly seek funding for this project, which is of high priority
to the Sri Lankan Government.