Financial Times

Business-for-Peace Alliance meets in Ampara
The Business-for-Peace Alliance (BPA) held its 13th meeting in Ampara from November 5-7 hosted by the Ampara District Chamber of Commerce. The meeting brought together fellow chambers from the north, east, central and southern regions, according to a statement issued by International Alert (IA).

The exchanges allowed the representatives to gain a first-hand appreciation for Ampara District's business and peace-building challenges. "These meetings are a strong way to develop regional relationships between business communities that have been separated by the conflict. For many of us it our first visit to the Ampara District," noted a delegate from the Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce.

A central focus of the meetings is exploring the theme "What can business do for peace and what can peace do for business?" Formed in 2002, the BPA is an alliance of 15 regional chambers of commerce whose shared goal is to promote inter-regional peace and understanding through business. The Alliance is supported by International Alert and UNDP's Invest-in-Peace Project. Information on this BPA coordinating service can be obtained by contacting peacevisits@hotmail.com.

At its Ampara meeting, the Alliance made initial plans to organize a "Peace Bridge" trade-and-investment fair in Matara in mid-March. This multi-faceted event will enable participating chambers from all regions to present local products and investment opportunities while simultaneously raising public awareness of business-and-peace linkages, according to the IA statement.

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