Sri Lanka

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that Uganda’s open-door policy for refugees is being strained by arrivals from Sudan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The United Nations’ humanitarian partners have concluded an initial damage assessment following the recent operation by Israeli forces in the Jenin refugee camp. They report that 460 housing units were damaged, at least 40 families remain displaced and the camp remains largely without running water.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Mr. Marc-André Franche of Canada as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, with the host Government’s approval.

In Sudan, where humanitarian needs are at a record high, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, Khardiata Lo Ndiaye, today launched the 2023 appeal for $1.7 billion in aid. An estimated 15.8 million people, one third of the population, will need life-saving assistance next year, up 1.5 million from 2022.

In Sri Lanka, the United Nations team’s revised Humanitarian Needs and Priorities Plan aims to help 3.4 million people, with immediate food assistance for 2.4 million food-insecure people and support 1.5 million people in agriculture and fishing to revive severely disrupted food systems.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies released a report today which says that heatwaves account for some of the deadliest disasters and are intensifying.

In Sri Lanka, the United Nations continues to support the Government, and people of the country respond to the economic crisis there. The Organization has reached more than 1 million women, children and men with humanitarian aid across all 25 districts of the country.

On Saturday, accompanied by Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, the Secretary-General travelled to Balochistan, Larkana and Sukkur, in Sindh Province, and met with a group of women and men who abandoned everything to help their neighbours reach safety as their houses flooded. He said he had never seen climate carnage on this scale.

In Chad, torrential rains have killed 22 people and destroyed more than 2,000 hectares of farmland since June. The United Nations, along with its partners, are supporting the Government in providing emergency assistance of food, shelter, malaria management and other critical help.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today launched an appeal for $10.7 million to deliver life-saving health care in the next six months to over 2 million women and girls in Sri Lanka, where the health system risks collapsing amid debilitating power shortages and a lack of critical supplies and equipment.