European Union provides over €2.35Mn in humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka

The European Union has allocated more than €2.35 million in humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka in response to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Ditwah, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

Of the total allocation, €500,000 has been provided through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), while €1.85 million has been channelled through the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) partners, the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF.

In addition to the financial assistance, the EU’s Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) has extended in-kind support to Sri Lanka. The UCPM brings together 37 participating states, including all 27 EU member states as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine.

As part of this initiative, Sri Lanka received an aid shipment on Wednesday, December 17, with two air cargo flights arriving in Colombo from Germany, France and Luxembourg. The shipment comprised 83 tonnes of relief items, including family tents, mattresses, hygiene and kitchen kits, beds and water filters, intended for distribution among communities most affected by the cyclone.

The arrival of the assistance was welcomed by EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka Carmen Moreno, French Ambassador Rémi Lambert, and Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy Sarah Hasselbarth. On behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, the donations were received by Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, Director General for Europe and North America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, and Chathura Liyanarachchi, Director of the Disaster Management Centre (DMC).

Meanwhile, Italy has deployed a team of structural engineers to support Sri Lanka’s disaster assessment and recovery efforts. The EU has also activated its Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMS) in rapid mapping mode, producing around 30 maps to assist response operations.