UN ramps up humanitarian appeal for life-saving assistance to Sri Lankans

United Nations team in Sri Lanka and NGO revised and extended their joint Humanitarian Needs and Priorities plan, which aims to provide life-saving assistance to 3.4 mn people

The United Nations team in Sri Lanka and non-governmental organisations on Tuesday revised and extended their joint Humanitarian Needs and Priorities (HNP) plan, which aims to provide life-saving assistance to 3.4 million people amid Sri Lanka's worst economic crisis since independence.

During the ongoing crisis since June, the HNP plan has been responding to the Sri Lankan government's request for UN-backed multi-sector support for the island nation's debt and food and medicine shortages.

Governments and donor agencies have helped the humanitarian community reach over 1 million of the country's most vulnerable people with cash, food, school meals, medicine, protection, and livelihood support, according to a release.

The HNP - aligned with appeals from other UN agencies - had raised USD 79 million for Sri Lanka thanks to support from multiple donors like the US and USAID, Australia, Japan including JICA, the UN Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), Canada, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, Italy, EU, Switzerland, France, and with additional support from the UK, Germany, Thailand, Sweden, Georgia.

The HNP's revision extends the plan through 2022 and requires USD 70 million in additional funds to reach a total of USD 149.7 million, the release added.

"We are immensely appreciative of the solidarity the international community has shown with the people of Sri Lanka, including through their generous contributions to the HNP. This solidarity must be sustained if we are to insulate the most at-risk people from the impacts of the ongoing crisis," said UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy.

For the number of people in need across all 25 of Sri Lanka's districts, the extended appeal will improve nutrition for children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers; secure safe drinking water; and protect vulnerable farming and fishing households.

Singer-Hamdy stressed the importance of strengthening local food production and delivery.

Food insecurity in Sri Lanka has increased dramatically due to two consecutive seasons of poor harvests, foreign exchange shortages, and reduced household purchasing power.

With a poor harvest season forecast for 2023 and food inflation of 85.6 per cent in October 2022, many Sri Lankans are struggling. Twenty-eight per cent of the population - or 6.3 million people - face moderate-to-severe acute food insecurity.

According to the World Bank's 2022 Development Update, the poverty rate rose from 13.1 per cent to 25.6 per cent between 2021 and 2022.

The revised HNP complements existing emergency operations carried out by the UN and humanitarian partners.

Among its targets are immediate food assistance for 2.4 million vulnerable and food-insecure people; provision of support and fertilizers for 1.5 million farmers and fishers to revive food systems that have been severely disrupted.

The appeal also seeks to provide nutrition support for 2.1 million people, including pregnant women and schoolchildren; safe drinking water for over 900,000 people; and essential medicines and healthcare, including sexual and reproductive healthcare, for 867,000 people. It will enable protection services to continue for vulnerable women and children at risk of violence.

Sri Lanka is facing the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948 which has led to an acute shortage of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas and fuel across the country.

The street protests had been triggered across the country over the poor handling of the economic crisis and the lack of accountability to it.