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Sri Lanka Multi-Dimensional Crisis Situation Report No. 6 (30 September 2022)

Países
Sri Lanka
Fuentes
OCHA
Fecha de publicación

This report is produced by the OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) on behalf of the ISCG. The updates below cover activities carried out between 10 September – 23 September and provide an overview of response activities to meet the needs articulated in the Humanitarian Needs and Priorities (HNP) Plan.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that more than one-third of the population, or 37 percent, is currently facing acute food insecurity. This is according to results of a recent remote household food security survey carried out by the WFP, which shows a slight deterioration over the Crop and Food Security Assessment (CFSAM) conducted previously.

  • The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced an additional US$20 million in humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka.

  • Approval of the US$2,9 billion Extended Fund Facility by the IMF Management and the Executive Board is still pending.

  • The EU and the United Kingdom have released funds for humanitarian aid amounting to €1,5 million and £3 million respectively.

  • The American NGO HOPE Worldwide has facilitated an in-kind donation of US$2,7 million worth of medical supplies.

  • Iran and Sri Lanka have held discussions on supplying fertilizer to Sri Lanka without clarity yet on the outcome.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Sri Lanka continues to experience an unprecedented economic crisis with high inflation, rising commodity prices, power shortages and scarcity of fuel. The crisis is deepened by a serious reduction in agricultural production. In the context of shortages of many food products, fuel, medicines, and other essential items, protests broke out in March 2022 and became mass protests in April and July 2022. On 13 July, the President of Sri Lanka left the country and the Prime Minister, in his capacity as an acting President, declared a temporary state of emergency. The President resigned a few days later and on 21 July the Prime Minister was elected President by a parliamentary vote. Protests have since then declined in frequency and size. The former President has since returned to Sri Lanka on 03 September.

Asia’s highest inflation rates and ongoing fuel scarcity continue to threaten food security in Sri Lanka. The Colombo Consumer Price Index reached 64.3 per cent over the year to August 2022, driven in part by food inflation of 93.7 per cent. Early indicators show that agricultural output has decreased by 40 per cent compared to the 2020 Yala season, and prices for food items continue to increase due to high fuel prices, shortages of fertilisers and a shortage of animal feed. For the upcoming Maha season, it is difficult to predict how the outcome will be due largely to the limited availability and high cost of fertilizers and pesticides and the continuing fuel-shortage. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), more than one-third of the population (37 percent) is currently facing moderate acute food insecurity, and around eight in ten households are regularly turning to food-based coping strategies. Female-headed households are seen to be particularly hard it, as are the urban poor and people working in the estate-sector.

Given the deteriorating food security and nutrition situation in Sri Lanka and the strong likelihood that the upcoming Maha season will not produce sufficient yields, several countries have pledged further assistance, especially towards improving food security and the critical inputs for the agriculture sector. The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, announced an additional US$20 million in humanitarian assistance, bringing USAID’s total assistance to nearly US$92 million since June of this year. The United Kingdom pledged £3 million in lifesaving support going mostly toward food security and supporting farmers, while the EU released €1.5 million in humanitarian aid which will mainly be utilized for multipurpose cash assistance.

The final agreement on the US$2,9 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is still pending, subject to the approval by IMF Management and the Executive Board.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.