The United States has launched a programme to help develop Sri Lanka’s eastern region from where government forces have driven out Tamil Tigers and which for long has lagged behind other regions.

The Connecting Regional Economies (CORE) programme is part of American efforts to address the root causes of conflict in the island,a US embassy statement said.

It is designed to increase social and economic security in the east, it said.

"By addressing the disparity in economic development between eastern Sri Lanka and the more prosperous Western Province, CORE aims to establish conditions whereby sustained economic development can be launched," it said.

The programme by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will focus on improving the supply chain and access to markets of producers in five districts of the Eastern, North-Central and Uva Provinces.

"To achieve this goal, USAID will promote the competitiveness of agriculturally based businesses and improve access to markets," the statement said.

Private sector firms will be included in the programme wherever feasible to encourage long-term private sector investment in the region.

The programme will also support livelihoods development for vulnerable populations and develop workforce skills among youth and other groups at risk, it said.

"At the national level, CORE will focus on promoting business-friendly policies that will enable enterprises in the target geographic areas to grow, generate jobs and develop local economies."