One-Text Initiative
Our process

Structured dialogue that builds consensus across Sri Lanka's diverse stakeholders.

The shared values, guiding principles, and principles of engagement that enable OneText Initiative to build political consensus through evidence-backed facilitation and sustained engagement.

Process stages
5 Phases
From trust building to implementation stewardship.
Dialogue levels
National · Provincial · District
One process, applied at every tier of decision-making.
Approach
Evidence-backed deliberation with Chatham House principles and conflict sensitivity.
Our vision

Achieving a just, equitable, democratically pluralist and socio-economically stable Sri Lanka.

Our mission

To provide a trusted and resourceful platform for finding middle ground for competing policy interests of political stakeholders, through sustained dialogue at National, Provincial and District levels.

01 — Strategy & objectives

Organizational strategy

To generate consensual policy options (‘One-Text’ documents) through a problem-solving approach and critical thinking in facilitated dialogues — supported by action research, capacity building, expert technical inputs, advocacy and lobbying — to eliminate data, value, relationship, structural and interest related conflicts.

Overall objective

Promoting a national policy framework for creating unity in diversity through state building, democratic governance, adherence to rule of law, human rights and sustained economic growth.

Specific objectives

01

Facilitating the discourse on social change brought about by a developing market economy.

02

Creating an enabling environment to promote the State's duty to protect and corporate responsibility to uphold human rights.

02 — Shared values

What every stakeholder agrees to before the first session

In their participation in the OTI process, stakeholders agree to share the following values.

01 Respect for dignity based on protection of liberty and equality of all peoples.
02 Tolerance for ethnic, religious, cultural and opinion related differences.
03 Respect and uphold multi-culturalism.
04 Respect for the sovereignty that rests with the People of Sri Lanka, and support for its effective and meaningful exercise by the People.
05 Commitment to overcome majoritarian attitudes.
06 Accept all as equal partners in finding inclusive solutions.
07 Engage in the OTI process on the premise of co-ownership.
03 — Guiding principles

A commitment to the basic ideals of justice and democracy

The participation of stakeholders in the OTI dialogue process is guided by their commitment to the basic ideals of justice and democracy, which particularly include, inter alia:

Respect for equality in dignity and rights, and for diverse cultural identities.

Respect for international human rights standards and the principles of participatory democracy.

04 — Principles of engagement

How stakeholders interact — with each other and with other actors

All stakeholders interact among themselves and with other actors subject to the following principles of engagement.

01 Providing equal opportunity for all stakeholders to share their concerns and aspirations.
02 Preserving the collective and inclusive nature of the dialogue.
03 Upholding the principles of conflict sensitivity.
04 Observing Chatham House Principles in dialogue.
05 Ensuring transparency in the transactions and interactions in the process.
06 Enabling the right of dissent to be articulated in a manner that will not undermine the larger collective interest to pursue the dialogue process.
07 Acquiring new knowledge — capacity building and research — and technical inputs to facilitate transforming misconceived attitudes.

See the process at work

Every convening and every published document is an output of these principles. Browse the dialogue record, or bring us a problem worth convening around.

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