Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 9th Nov. UN and its partners on Tuesday revised its joint Humanitarian Needs and Priorities Plan and appealed for over life-saving assistance to aid 3.4 million people in Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since independence.
According to a press release issued in New York, UN team in Sri Lanka and NGOs have used the HNP to respond to the Government’s request for more support to alleviate the impact of the country’s debt and food crisis, and shortages of medicines.
Governments and donor agencies have helped the humanitarian community reach over one million of the most vulnerable with cash, food, school meals, medicine, protection, and livelihood support, they said.
UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Hanaa Singer-Hamdy said “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.”
She added that it must be sustained “if we are to insulate the most at-risk people from the impacts of the ongoing crisis”.
According to HNP, it aligned with appeals from other UN agencies, the HNP has raised $79 million for Sri Lanka through various countries and organizations.
HNP revision extends the plan through 2022, requires $70 million in additional funds to reach a total of $149.7 million.
The extended appeal will improve nutrition for children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers; secure safe drinking water; and protect vulnerable farming and fishing households in response to the humanitarian community’s updated estimates on the number of people in need across all 25 of Sri Lanka’s districts.
It noted two consecutive seasons of poor harvests, foreign exchange shortages, and reduced household purchasing power have triggered a dramatic increase in food insecurity.
The food inflation of 85.6 per cent in October and meagre crop season forecast for 2023, many Sri Lankans are struggling.
Over 28% of the population or 6.3 million people face moderate-to-severe acute food insecurity.
She underscored the importance of strengthening local food production and delivery, said that “at this point, safeguarding livelihoods is safeguarding lives in Sri Lanka”.
According to the World Bank’s 2022, development Update, between 2021 and 2022, the national poverty rate rose from 13.1 per cent to 25.6 per cent.
The revised HNP is an existing emergency operations being carried out by the UN and partners.
The appeal targets immediate food assistance for 2.4 million vulnerable and food-insecure people as well as support, including fertilizers, for 1.5 million farmers, it said.
The plan 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.
HNP added that the assistance will enable protection services to continue for vulnerable women and children at risk of violence.
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