|
2009-07-27
Statement by Eric P. Schwartz,
Assistant Secretary of State for Refugees,
July 27, 2009
I have just completed a short visit to Sri Lanka in which I visited Manik Farm in Vavuniya, where over 200,000 of the 280,000 persons recently displaced in Sri Lanka are now located, and met with President Rajapaksa, as well as Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Justice Minister Milinda Moragoda and other senior officials.
I first want to thank officials of the Government of Sri Lanka for their hospitality, and their generous efforts to facilitate my visit to Manik Farm.
The United States has provided over fifty million dollars for humanitarian assistance in Sri Lanka in 2009, and I was here to observe the state of the humanitarian effort, as well as to examine ways to further support effective relief and equitable and sustainable recovery.
Working in collaboration with local and international partners, the Sri Lankan authorities face the formidable task of providing food, shelter, and healthcare to some 280,000 displaced persons, while at the same time facilitating returns in conditions of safety and dignity. And the United States welcomes the sustained efforts of relief providers, both from the Sri Lankan government and from local and international organizations, to address the critical needs of this very large community. For example, in recent days and weeks, serious efforts have been made to decongest the sites and improve sanitary conditions.
At the same time, the United States remains deeply concerned about a range of issues where further progress is essential. In particular, the vast majority of displaced persons remain confined to camps, and my visit to Manik Farm – and my conversations with displaced persons – underscored for me the hardships they are enduring. Moreover, there remain burdensome limitations on access to those camps for those international humanitarian organizations and others who are in a position to ameliorate the conditions faced by these victims of conflict.
I had long discussions on these issues with all my interlocutors, and I was encouraged to learn that significant and substantial returns will take place over the next month, in the districts of Mannar, Vavuniya, parts of Kilinochchi, as well as other parts of Sri Lanka. Moreover, officials told me they are determined to strongly support development and the overall well-being of the populations in all the affected areas. The United States of America welcomes these commitments, and I appreciated the Sri Lankan government’s invitation to me to return shortly to observe the process of return and recovery, which I fully intend to do.
The Government of the United States believes the focus now must be on the prompt return of the displaced in safety and dignity, and we want to support and accelerate this process. To this end, I am pleased to announce a U.S. contribution of eight million dollars in support of return, recovery and the resumption of a normal and more productive life for the many tens of thousands who were forced to flee their homes. As is the case with all such assistance we provide, we will seek to encourage the involvement of local communities in the design and implementation of projects.
I am asking Rebecca Cohn, the USAID Mission director, to say a few words about this assistance, and then I will be pleased to take your questions.
Statement by Rebecca Cohn,
Director of USAID Sri Lanka,
July 27, 2009
As the Assistant Secretary said, the U.S. government and USAID are committed to helping the people and communities of the North return to normalcy as quickly and safely as possible. The funding we’ve announced this evening will support international organizations, such as UNHCR, as well as NGOs who are longstanding partners in Sri Lanka. These projects will be designed with the feedback and participation of the communities they will serve, which will ensure the success of these efforts.
This new funding will support the early return of people to their original communities by improving their living conditions and helping to restore their livelihoods as soon as possible upon their return home.
We will help improve their living conditions by providing shelter materials so that families can build or rebuild their homes. We will also help clean and repair wells, and provide new water storage tanks so communities have clean, safe water to drink.
In order to restore livelihoods, the US Government will provide necessities such as nets and small boats for fishermen, and tools and seeds for farmers. We will also give grants to help people start small businesses that will generate income and provide needed services for the community.
In addition to this new $8 million donation, USAID is also providing nearly thirty million dollars of food aid to the World Food Program this year alone. This food can also support those people returning to their homes by providing them up to six months of dry rations.
I’ll now turn this back over to Assistant Secretary Schwartz for your questions. Thank you.
|
Assistant Secretary of State Eric P. Schwartz announced
$8 million for USAID to help IDPs in the North return to their homes.
|
|
