Cyclone Ditwah: Defence Secretary reaffirms commitment to post-disaster recovery process

The official Validation and Finalization Workshop for the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) on the impact of Cyclone Ditwah was held today (09) at the BMICH, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The workshop was chaired by the Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd).

The workshop marked a key milestone in Sri Lanka’s post-disaster recovery process, bringing together stakeholders to finalize assessments and guide coordinated recovery and reconstruction efforts. Since the PDNA process began in November (2025), technical teams have worked to quantify the disaster’s impact, and the workshop provided a platform to validate and refine these findings ahead of the final PDNA report, the Ministry added.

Making the keynote address, the Defence Secretary stated that the PDNA provides the critical foundation for a resilient recovery from Cyclone Ditwah disaster, which had caused severe impacts on lives, infrastructure, and essential services. He noted that the evidence-based assessment, conducted under the guidance of the Presidential Task Force for Rebuilding Sri Lanka, enables Sri Lanka to move from immediate relief to a coordinated, risk-informed recovery framework aligned with the global “Build Back Better” principles.

The Defence Secretary expressed his deep appreciation to the National Planning Department and the Disaster Management Centre for their joint leadership in steering this complex, time-bound exercise. He also commended the World Bank, European Union, Asian Development Bank, and UN agencies for their technical expertise and financial support, which ensured the assessment’s international alignment and credibility, and also thanked the technical teams and district authorities for delivering accurate, sector-wise data even under challenging conditions.

Concluding his remarks, the Defence Secretary reaffirmed the Defence Ministry’s full commitment to the implementation of the PDNA outcomes. He stressed that the workshop was a vital milestone to ensure recovery priorities reflect ground realities, stating, “Together, through strong institutional coordination and sustained partnerships, we can ensure that Sri Lanka emerges stronger, safer, and more resilient from the impacts of Cyclone Ditwah.”

The workshop brought together a broad coalition of national and international stakeholders, including the Secretary to the Presidential Task Force, representatives of the World Bank, European Union (EU), Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC), UN development partners, heads of line ministries and agencies, and the Directors General and officials of the National Planning Department and the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).