The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a five-year, $12 million contract to support regional government in eastern and north central provinces. The investment will helped to improve security, local government accountability and conflict resolution.

The program, called Supporting Regional Governance, will build on USAID- Sri Lanka's successful democracy and governance efforts, designed several years ago to address development needs resulting from the on-going conflict. The new program also aims to improve regional government in eastern Sri Lanka by increasing citizen participation.

The contract was awarded to ARD, a subsidiary of Tetra Tech, Inc., of Pasadena, Calif.

"USAID remains committed to its assistance programs in Sri Lanka," said Rebecca Cohn, USAID- Sri Lanka Mission Director. "We're confident our new partnership with ARD will support our goal of helping Sri Lanka and apply the best governance practices from around the world.”