User:Fslga/sandbox

Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities is the sole-representative organization of local authorities in Sri Lanka. This organization was initiated in 2008 under the leadership of Hon. Janaka Bandara Thennakoon, then minister of Local Governance in Sri Lanka in order to provide services to all 335 local councils. Executive director board was elected by a biennial election and this board includes the mayors and chairmen from Municipal Councils, Urban Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas. Executive director board consists a total of 12 individuals which includes Mayors and Council chairmen representing 9 provinces of Sri Lanka along with three other to represent the Sri Lanka Mayors Forum, United Urban Council Forum and All-Island ‘Pradeshiya Sabha’ Chairmen’s Forum. These members were chosen to represent all religions, ethnicities and languages to create an environment to serve the interests of all. Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities have taken the initiative to establish two other organizations; Young Councilors National Platform (YCNP) and Women Councilors National Platform (WCNP) for the young councilors and for women councilors to promote their active participation in politics, especially in local governance section.

Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities is formed under company act number GA 2176 in September 2009 and all the financial, administrative and project work will be conducted by the National coordinator under the supervision of the executive director board. All the operations are being controlled at the main office. Apart from the income generated through the membership fee, Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities uses the funding received from external project grants to conduct various services to local government sector such as capacity building, fostering international relationships, supporting to create the government policy on local governance, coordinating discussions with provincial councils on issues related in provincial levels, coordinate and follow-up required work regarding laws and regulations of local governance, provide required legal guidance and services for the local authorities.

In terms of capacity building, Federation has taken the initiative to introduce a By-Law mechanism to the local government sector that can be used as a guideline to formulate by-laws according to the contemporary needs of local councils. -	By-law framework that can be utilized by all local authorities -	Educating about the new local governance election ordinance -	Coordinate foreign study tour programs for the councilors -	Capacity building training -	Meeting with the Finance Ministry to obtain the due amounts for the local authorities (Direct access to the taxes and fines) -	Publish a newsletter containing all the work/services conducted by the Federation

Federation of Sri Lankan local government authorities maintain liaison with all government institutions related to local governance in every province along with the ministry of local government and other relevant ministries. As for the international relations, Federation have a strong connections with United Cities and Local Government Forum – Asia Pacific, Commonwealth Local Government Forum which has benefited with various development and capacity building projects. Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities’ ability to represent the whole local government sector has been its foremost attribute in successfully empowering the local government sector