Born out of a need to institutionalize the Peace Process, the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) was established on 6 February 2002 with the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL). The Secretariat was headed by Bernard Goonetilleke (2002-2004), Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala (2004-2005), Dr. Palitha Kohona (2006 - 2007) and by Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha (2007 - 2009). On May 19, 2009, the President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapakse officially claimed an end to the insurgency and the defeat of the LTTE, following which SCOPP will be winding up operations with effect from July 31, 2009.
SCOPP employees were drawn from both the private and public sectors in Sri Lanka and included specialists in Communications, Diplomacy, Economics, and Law.
For over two years since its inception, SCOPP was under the direct purview of the Prime Ministerof Sri Lanka though in its later years it came under the direct purview of the President of Sri Lanka.
SCOPP was primarily a coordinating and facilitating body of the Peace Process. It was the main instrument of the Government to consolidate and strengthen the Peace Process. SCOPP engaged in extensive consultations with all stakeholders involved in the Peace Process including the public and private sectors, civil society, donor community and line agencies on a regular basis.
Read more about Secretariat For Coordinating The Peace Process: The SCOPP Mandate, Policy Division
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