The United Nations today (11) launched its Humanitarian Priorities Plan to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to provide immediate life-saving assistance and restore normalcy to the lives of people affected by Cyclone Ditwah.
The UN, along with local and international partners, are accordingly seeking to mobilise US$35 million in the next four months to provide immediate life-saving assistance, UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc-André Franche stated.
Speaking during a media briefing held in Colombo today (11), Marc-André Franche said the UN in collaboration with the Disaster Management Centre, has put together a Humanitarian Priorities Plan covering seven sectors after Cyclone Ditwah caused a trail of destruction across the country.
He said the government is leading the relief and recovery efforts, while the UN and other local and international partners will extend their support in a number of areas.
UN Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche noted that the UN has already received US$9.5 million for the initiative with the support extended by Australia, Canada, the European Union, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
He said they are now seeking to mobilise a further US$26 million in the coming months with a coordinated programme.
UN Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche emphasised the need for a coordinated effort to support those affected by the disaster in the short-term and rebuilding their lives in the long run.
Communities across Sri Lanka are continuing to grapple with the widespread impacts of the cyclone, with thousands of families still displaced after extensive damage to housing and infrastructure, the UN Resident Coordinator noted.
He said the funds will enable the UN to rapidly scale up emergency food assistance, shelter support, and water, sanitation and hygiene services for the communities most severely affected by the floods and landslides that have impacted the country.
Even as response efforts are underway, latest assessments indicate that the effects of the cyclone are broader and more severe than initially understood, leaving many communities in urgent need of sustained support to fully recover from Cyclone Ditwah.
“This funding comes at a critical moment for Sri Lanka,” said the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Marc-Andre Franche.
As the full scale of the devastation becomes clearer, Resident Coordinator Marc-André Franche said the UN will expand its life-saving assistance to the hardest-hit communities through the broader Humanitarian Priorities Plan.
