Danesh Jayatilaka (PhD, Cmb) - Chairman

Danesh provides leadership and is Co-Investigator for the research studies ’Towards Trajectories of Inclusion: Making infrastructure work for the most marginalised’ and ’Holding aid accountable: Plural humanitarianism in protracted crisis’. He has a doctorate in economics from the University of Colombo with a split-site scholarship to the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex. His thesis focused on post-war resettlement, aid and recovery in Sri Lanka.

His research has included labor management, urban development, safe cities, conflict and development induced displacement, relocation and resettlement, and vulnerable migrants. He was Co-Investigator for the four research studies: ’Involuntary resettlement: A cross country study on urban inequality and poverty’, ’Supporting the social mobility of trapped populations in very poor urban areas’, ’The unknown city: the (in)visibility of urban displacement’ and ’Addressing the 24 hour cycle of urban risk: Gendered perspectives on non-conflict violence and climate change impacts in cities’, funded by the IDRC, DFID, ESRC, AHRC, RGS and GCRF. He also led studies on dowries, disasters and trafficking for the Brookings Institution and International Labour Organization.

Danesh received his training on forced migration from the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) at the University of Oxford. He is a Research Associate (Geography) at University of Sussex. He is also the editor-in-chief for the CMRD publications, an editorial advisory board member for Journal of Refugee Studies (JRS), and occasional contributor to Oxford Analytica. Danesh is a former UN staff officer.

Danesh’s Publications

Journal Articles

1. Brun, C., Alikhan, M. M., Jayatilaka, D., Chalkiadaki, E., & Erdal, M. B. (2024). The dynamic space of aid relations in protracted internal displacement: the case of Sri Lanka’s northern Muslims. Disasters, e12623
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2. Jayatilaka, D. and R. Muggah (2004) Where there is no information: conducting IDP vulnerability assessments in Sri Lanka’s ’borderlands’, Forced Migration Review, Oxford.
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3. Muggah, R. and D. Jayatilaka (2004) Where there is no information: IDP vulnerability in Sri Lanka’s ’uncleared’ areas, Humanitarian Practice Network, Overseas Development Institute, London.
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4. Jayatilaka, D. (2003) Obstacles to Implementing the Guiding Principles in Sri Lanka, Researching Internal Displacement, Forced Migration Review, Oxford, 2003
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Chapters

1. Jayatilaka, D., & Amirthalingam, K. (2023). "Conflict, Poverty, and Recovery in Passaiyoor East in Jaffna City in Sri Lanka", in Forced Migration and Urban Transformation in South Asia: Displacement, Resettlement, and Poverty, pp. 35-57, Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
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2. Gamage, S and Jayatilaka, D (2022), ’Life-story narratives, memory maps, and video stories: spatial narratives of urban displacement in Sri Lanka’, in Katarzyna Grabska and Christina Clark-Kazak (Eds.), Documenting Displacement: Questioning Methodological Boundaries in Forced Migration Research, pp. 338-360, McGill-Queen’s University Press.
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3. Alikhan, S., M. M. Alikhan, D. Jayatilaka (Forthcoming), Evolution of Colombo: A City of Migration and Diversity, xx
   

4. Jayatilaka, D., R.W.D. Lakshman and I. M. Lakshman (2018), "Urban community profiles: Safe relocation and resettlement in post-war Sri Lanka", in J. Salahub, M. Gottsbacher, and J. de Boer (Ed.), Social Theories of Urban Violence in the Global South, pp. 79-95, Routledge.
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5. Collyer, M., K. Amirthalingam and D. Jayatilaka (2017), "The right to adequate housing in post-conflict Colombo, Sri Lanka", in K. Brickell, M. Fernandez and A. Vasudevan (Ed.), Geographies of Forced Eviction, pp. 47-69, Palgrave.
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6. Amirthalingam, K., D. Jayatilaka, and R. W. D. Lakshman (2015) "The other side of migration and development nexus: The Sri Lankan experience in trafficking" in T. T. Yong and M. M. Rahman (ed) International Migration and Development in South Asia, pp.218-234, Routledge.
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7. Jayatilaka, D. (2004) ’Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement: Sri Lanka Programme Syllabi’, in G. Sánchez-Garzoli (Ed.), Collection of Global Course Syllabi Relating to Internally Displaced Persons, pp. 683-692, Brookings–SAIS Project on Internal Displacement.
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8. Jayatilaka, D. (2003), ’Internal displacement in Sri Lanka: reflections following the Guiding Principles Project 2001’, in Cathrine Brun and Nina M. Birkeland (eds.), Researching Internal Displacement: State of the Art, pp. 261-276, NTNU Norwegian Universityof Science and Technology.
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Academic Conferences

1. Jayatilaka, D. (2020), "Underserved communities in Colombo and issues of relocating and resettling them in the city", Climate Change, Cities and Violence in Time of COVID 19: Perspectives from South Asia, GCRF Climate Change and Urban Violence Global Network (CCUVN), Pakistan.
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2. Jayatilaka, D., S. Alikhan, A. Azam (2018), "Early findings for Colombo: Trapped populations and unknown city", Migrants on the Margins: Final International Workshop, Johannesburg, South Africa
   

3. Jayatilaka, D. (2014), "Post war resettlement of IDPs in Sri Lanka: Analyzing housing and livelihoods aid using an economics lens", 15th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), Bogota, Colombia.
   

4. Jayatilaka, D. (2014), "Wellbeing and social and economic impacts during displacement and resettlement", Faculty of Arts International Conference, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
   

5. Jayatilaka, D. (2014),"Protecting and assisting outside the 1951 convention: Refugee experiences and implications for Sri Lanka", Refugee Protection Outside of the International Legal Framework: Expanding Cross-National and Cross-Disciplinary Collaborations,Center for Forced Migration Studies (CFMS), Northwestern University, USA.
   

6. Jayatilaka, D., K. Amirthalingam and R.W.D. Lakshman (2014)"Development Induced Displaced and Conflict Induced Displaced: Are there significant differences between DID and CID in terms of social and economic impact and well-being," Coherence and Incoherence in Migration Management and Integration: Policies, Practices and Perspectives / Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS), University of Montreal, Canada.
   

7. Jayatilaka, D., K. Amirthalingam and R.W.D. Lakshman. (2014), "Post-conflict trafficking vulnerabilities in Sri Lanka: an insight into victims, perpetrators and ways for protection" Coherence and Incoherence in Migration Management and Integration: Policies, Practices and Perspectives / Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS), University of Montreal, Canada.
   

8. Jayatilaka, D. (2013), "An economic analysis of the post-war resettlement of IDPs in eastern Sri Lanka"Annual Research Symposium, Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
   

9. Jayatilaka, D. (2013), "An economic analysis of the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Post-war Eastern Sri Lanka", Post-war Sri Lanka: Politics, economy, peace building academic and policy oriented workshop, London School of Economics (LSE), UK
   

10. Jayatilaka, D. (2013), "Mobile livelihoods strategies and sustainable recovery: a case study from a resettled village in post-conflict Sri Lanka", 14th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), Kolkata, India
    

11. D. Jayatilaka and N. Liyanage (2012), "Human trafficking and postconflict development: risks and emerging trends in Sri Lanka", British Association for South Asian Studies (BASAS), School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS), UK
    

12. Jayatilaka, D. (2012), "Resettlement in post-war Sri Lanka: a mixed method analyzing the recovery of IDPs", Sussex Centre for Migration Research (SCMR), University of Sussex, UK
    

13. Amirthalingam, K., D. Jayatilaka, R. W. D. Lakshman and N. Liyanage (2011), "Victims of human trafficking in Sri Lanka: Narratives of Women, children and youth", 2011 annual conference of the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE), held in Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, China.
    

14. Jayatilaka. D (2011) "Forced displacement and resettlement: a study assessing recovery among former IDPs in Sri Lanka", Annual Conference of the British Association for South Asian Studies (BASAS), held at the University of Southampton, UK.
    

15. Jayatilaka. D (2011) "Shades of grey: a review of resettlement policy for three categories of IDPs in Sri Lanka", International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), held at the University of Makerere, Uganda.
    

16. Jayatilaka D. (2010), ’Best practices in return and resettlement: from the east to the north in Sri Lanka’, Canadian Association for Refugees and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS), McMaster University, Canada.
    

17. Jayatilaka D. (2009), ’Lessons while en route to solutions: revisiting the IDP return and resettlement programme in the East of Sri Lanka’, 12th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), Cyprus.
    

18. Jayatilaka D. (2008), ’Back to basics: IDP resettlement in the east of Sri Lanka’, 11th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), Egypt.
    

19. Jayatilaka D. (2006), ’Utensils to people’s spirits: micro level intervention models for effective tsunami relief in Sri Lanka’, 10th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), York University, Canada.
    

20. Jayatilaka D. (2005), ’Bridges and voids: strengthening IDP host-guest relations in Sri Lanka’, 9th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), Brazil.
    

21. Jayatilaka D. (2003), ’Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement: Reflection from 2001 and operation of the 2002 project’, NTNU International Conference on Researching Internal Displacement, Norway.
    

22. Jayatilaka D. (2003), ’Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement: reflections from Sri Lanka during the year 2001’, International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM), Thailand.
    

Other publications

1. Alikhan, S., Alikhan, M. M., Jayatilaka, D., Azam, A. (2024), Aspiring for Inclusion: Accessing water by the tea estate community in Badulla, Sri Lanka – opportunities and constraints, Colombo: Centre for Migration Research and Development.
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2. Alikhan, S., M. M. Alikhan, D. Jayatilaka (Forthcoming), ‘Migration, Eviction and Encroachment: Evolution of Low Income Neighborhoods in Colombo, Sri Lanka’, Colombo: Centre for Migration Research and Development
   

3. Lakshman, R. W. D., S. Kulatunge, D. Jayatilaka (Forthcoming), ’Migration and Capabilities Among Low Income Dwellers’, Colombo: Centre for Migration Research and Development.
   

4. Jayatilaka, D (2020), Post-war resettlement, aid and recovery: An economic analysis in Sri Lanka, Colombo: Centre for Migration Research and Development.
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5. Jayatilaka, D. (2019), ’Labor Management Issues and Practices in Sri Lanka: A Study Among Urban, Rural and Plantation Sector Projects’, The World Bank. Unpublished.
   

6. Jayatilaka, D. (2018), ’Social Audit of Social Safeguards Implementation under the Metro Colombo Urban Development Project (MCUDP)’, The World Bank. Unpublished.
   

7. Jayatilaka, D., K. Amirthalingam and S. Gunasekara (2015), ’Conflict, displacement and post-war recovery: A community profile of Passaiyoor East in Jaffna, Sri Lanka’, Colombo: International Centre for Ethnic Studies.
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8. Jayatilaka, D., and Amirthalingam, K (2015), "The Impact of Displacement on Dowries in Sri Lanka", Brookings–LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Washington.
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9. Vithanagama, R., Alikhan, M., Jayatilaka, D., and Lakshman, R.W.D (2015), "Planned relocations in the context of natural disasters: The case of Sri Lanka", Brookings–LSE Project on Internal Displacement, Washington
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10. Jayatilaka, D. (2009) Lessons while en route to solutions: revisiting the IDP return and resettlement programme in the East of Sri Lanka, Forced Migration Online (FMO), Oxford.
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11. Jayatilaka, D. (2005) Bridges and voids: strengthening IDP host-guest relations in Sri Lanka, Forced Migration Online (FMO), Oxford.
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12. Jayatilaka, D. (2005) Stretching the mandate: an issue paper on contemporary challenges for UNHCR Sri Lanka, Forced Migration Online (FMO), Oxford.
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13. Jayatilaka, D. (2003) Research study on human smuggling in Sri Lanka: windows for intervention by IOM, Forced Migration Online (FMO), Oxford.
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