INNOVATIONS AND WAYS OF PROMOTING PEACE AND JUSTICE: A STUDY OF POST-WAR IN SRI LANKA

The research investigates how innovation fosters peace and justice in post-war Sri Lanka by assessing both dynamic processes and strategic methods. The country needs to resolve its existing ethnic conflicts and social divides, which have persisted since the end of its civil war that lasted for almost thirty years. The ongoing unresolved conflicts require an in-depth examination of post-war recovery initiatives. Although previous studies have examined post-war reconstruction, reconciliation, and transitional justice in Sri Lanka, limited attention has been given to innovation as an integrated framework for promoting sustainable peace and justice. This study addresses that gap by examining how institutional, policy, and community-based innovations contribute to post-war peacebuilding. The research investigates two main objectives: studying how governments implement their peace and justice initiatives and assessing what war-affected communities expect in the period after conflicts end. The researchers used a qualitative research design, grounded in a critical-reflective analysis of secondary sources, for their investigation. Within this study, innovation is conceptualised as institutional, policy, and community-based approaches that strengthen peacebuilding through inclusive governance, reconciliation, and transitional justice. Peace is understood as positive peace, encompassing the absence of violence together with social justice, equality, and human well-being, while justice is examined through transitional justice mechanisms, including accountability, truth-seeking, reparations, and institutional reform. The research shows that existing policy changes, together with reconciliation initiatives, still fail to address the needs of affected communities. The analysis further indicates that innovation is most effective when institutional reforms are supported by meaningful community participation, inclusive governance, and accountable implementation mechanisms rather than policy commitments alone. The review presents multiple approaches to improve peace and justice through innovative methods, which combine political economy analysis with digital peacebuilding, environmental research, urban development, and sustainable development frameworks. The study contributes to the growing literature on post-conflict peacebuilding by providing an integrated conceptual framework for understanding innovation and demonstrating its potential to promote sustainable peace and justice in post-war Sri Lanka.