Sri Lanka:Decision-making across the UN was dominated by a culture of trade-offs – from the ground to UN headquarters

''Coming at the beginning of his second term, the Secretary-General’s decision to commission an internal review is an extremely courageous step. The Panel believes that the report’s findings and recommendations provide an urgent and compelling platform for action. The UN’s failure to adequately respond to the events in Sri Lanka should not happen again. When confronted by similar situations, the UN should be able to meet a much higher standard in fulfilling its protection and humanitarian responsibilities. In support of this effort, the Panel strongly urges that its report be made public.'' 
Executive Summary: Assessment of the UN’s Actions in Sri Lanka

UNDP report: Govt.’s heavy reliance on indirect taxation eroding governance; State urged to act with concerns on education and healthcare mounting

Poor governance is holding back post-conflict Sri Lanka from healing wounds and realising equitable growth, says the Sri Lanka Human Development Reports 2012, compiled by the UNDP and the Institute of Policy Studies, while a regime of heavy indirect taxation contributed to poor governance.

"There is now an opportunity to correct the problems arising from Sri Lanka’s prolonged conflict, but progress in the domain of governance has been slow. Among other causes, this is due to difficulties in agreeing on the way forward; the complexities of rebuilding trust among different population groups; the constraints on the re-development of governance infrastructure in conflict affected areas; and the challenges of educating people, especially those who were unable to access public services, and making effective use of existing governance structure," the report said.