The Government of Australia, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the UNICEF have launched a partnership to help communities in Sri Lanka prepare for and respond to natural disasters.

According to the UN agencies, 96 percent of disasters in Sri Lanka are caused by climates, such as flooding, landslides, extreme winds, and drought. Sri Lanka has ranked the fourth most climate change affected the country in 2016 according to the Global Climate Risk Index, 2018.

The annual cycle of floods and drought is causing severe household economic and social stress in Sri Lanka. This cyclical pattern gradually decreases the coping strategies of families and the possibility to return to normalcy in the long run.

In response, the Australian Government, WFP, and UNICEF have signed a 3-year partnership (2018-2020) with a funding of AUD 750,000 (around 89 million Sri Lanka Rupees), to ensure stronger preparedness and faster, more integrated responses to natural disaster emergencies in the country.

“The Australian Government has supported Sri Lanka in disaster management and emergency response since the 2004 tsunami. We are pleased to now join forces with two of the leading UN humanitarian partners in Sri Lanka to deliver a program with the dual focus of helping Sri Lanka be better prepared to handle natural disasters and respond to emergencies,” remarked Victoria Coakley, Head of Development Cooperation, Australian High Commission.

The project targets the most vulnerable districts which are adversely affected by recurrent disasters, particularly the annual monsoons, including Ratnapura, Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Mullaitivu, and Batticaloa.

Courtesy of colombopage.com