South Asia Policy & Research Institute (SAPRI)
Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga founded South Asian Policy and Research Institute in February, 2010 due to her desire to continue contributing to the progress of South Asia.
The main objective of SAPRI is to study issues that pose major challenges to South Asian countries and to formulate practical recommendations for their resolution. SAPRI is a non-political, not-for-profit organization. While it is not committed politically to one ideology or another, it is deeply committed to the economic prosperity, political stability, security and peace of South Asia.
Its research focuses on the study of issues relating to good governance, conflict resolution, peace building, economic development, poverty alleviation, and the environment.
Through its work, SAPRI hopes to contribute to the task of bringing South Asian thinkers and policy makers together, to engage in dialogue about common concerns and to promote regional cooperation in order to attain separate national dreams, while progressing as a great region.
CBK Foundation for Democracy & Justice (FDJ)
The CBK Foundation for Democracy and Justice engages with rural communities in Sri Lanka and the South Asian region. The mandate of the foundation is to empower the rural communities by providing basic life essentials like access to water and electricity.
Established in 2023, brought together some of South Asia’s leading minds to advice and to direct the initiatives of the foundation. It has already positively influenced the lives of xxx families to date.
Rural electrification has been a key focal point for the Foundation’s projects, providing the poorest families in the Northern peninsular with solar powered power generation schemes. Up to 30 families, who were shortlisted after a needs assessment in the area, now have a reliable and sustainable electricity source.
Access to clean drinking water and water for agriculture in rural Sri Lanka however has been the primary focus of the Foundation; particularly in areas were water is linked to poverty. The programmes have also focused on the North and the East of Sri Lanka, where families are attempting to rebuild their lives after the civil war.
In most of these areas, ground water is non-existent or is unsuitable for drinking and agricultural use. As an alternative, the Foundation funded the construction of rain water harvesting tanks, to collect rainwater during the two seasonal monsoon seasons.
This system is designed to collect rainwater off the roof of each house, guide it along a simple pipeline into a large cement urn, provided with a filtration system and a tap at the bottom.
The urn when full, can contain 6500 litres of water, which is sufficient to meet the needs of a family of five for nearly 5 months with no rain. The filtration system ensures the water is suitable for drinking and domestic use. The beneficiaries were encouraged to form a Society and register it as a rural NGO called “Dinakara Community Centre”.
Global Leadership Foundation (GLF)
The Global Leadership Foundation (GLF) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation which seeks to improve the quality of political leadership and governance by enabling today’s national leaders to benefit from the experience of former leaders.
It is a network of former Heads of State or Government and other distinguished leaders who make their personal experience and advice discreetly available to those in power today. GLF Members work in small teams, in their personal capacity, to give advice on either general governance issues, or on specific issues of concern to Heads of Government. It is actively involved in relationships of this kind with leaders of government in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and elsewhere.
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
The mission of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) is to turn ideas into action. Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made nearly 2,500 commitments, which are already improving the lives of more than 430 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $87.9 billion.
The Club de Madrid (CDM)
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 89 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 58 countries, the Club de Madrid is the world’s largest forum of former Heads of State and Government.
Among its main goals are the strengthening of democratic institutions and counselling on the resolution of political conflicts in two key areas: democratic leadership and governance and response to crisis and post-crisis situations.
Former President Kumaratunga is a member of the Club de Madrid and is a Co-chair on one of its projects—the Shared Societies project. Alongside her Co-chair Cassam Uteem, former President of Mauritius, the project has accomplished some interesting work on the subject, including publications.
