GAPS IN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AT IDP CAMPS IN SRI LANKA

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000598


STATE FOR SCA (RBLAKE),SCA/INS AND PRM
STATE ALSO PASS USAID
AID/W FOR ANE/SCA, DCHA/FFP (JDWORKEN, KSHEIN)
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA (PMORRIS, ACONVERY, RTHAYER, RKERR)
ATHENS FOR PCARTER
BANGKOK FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA (WBERGER)
KATHMANDU FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA AND POL (SBERRY)
GENEVA FOR RMA (NKYLOH, NHILGERT, MPITOTTI)
USUN NEW YORK FOR ECOSOC (DMERCADO)
SECDEF FOR OSD - POLICY
PACOM ALSO FOR J-5

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF MOPS PHUM PGOV PREL ASEC CE
SUBJECT: GAPS IN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AT IDP CAMPS IN SRI LANKA


1. Summary. On May 29, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) briefed the media on needs, achievements, gaps,
and challenges in camps for recently-displaced persons in Sri Lanka.
Gaps remain in the shelter and settlements, protection, nutrition,
agriculture, emergency education, and water, sanitation, and hygiene
sectors. UNHCR was unable to ascertain gaps in the food, health,
mine clearance, and emergency relief supply sectors. Results of an
assessment of Manik Farm camp conducted by USAID's Office of U.S.
Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) from May 18 to 22 largely
coincide with UNHCR's report. USAID/OFDA continues to assess
humanitarian gaps in internally displaced person (IDP) camps in Sri
Lanka. USAID/OFDA is working with implementing partners to allocate
resources to meet acute needs through ongoing programming. End
summary.

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Conflict and Displacement in Sri Lanka
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2. On May 17, the 26-year conflict between the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) officially
ended. From October 2008 through May 28, 2009, more than 276,000
people fled from the conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka to
GSL-controlled territory, according to the U.N. Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). More than 256,000 of
these individuals are located in temporary camps in Vavuniya
District, with more than 226,000 people in Manik Farm IDP camp alone
as of May 31, according to OCHA.


3. On May 29, UNHCR gave a public briefing on needs, achievements,
gaps, and challenges in IDP camps in northern Sri Lanka. USAID/OFDA
staff obtained the document upon which the briefing was based, which
was not released publicly, on June 2. A summary of current gaps and
challenges follows below. From May 18 to 22, a USAID/OFDA regional
advisor assessed conditions in Manik Farm camp. The regional
advisor's assessment is largely in line with UNHCR's report on gaps
and challenges.

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Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)
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4. UNHCR reported that on average, IDPs in camps each receive 10
liters of drinking water per day. However, water coverage is
inconsistent within Manik Farm, and some partners report that
individuals receive as little as two to three liters of water per
day. In addition to the 3,154 latrines already constructed, 2,846
more latrines are needed immediately, and a total of 11,500 latrines
are needed overall to bring the ratio of latrines to people from
1:50 to 1:20. UNHCR also reports an urgent need for 1,000 bathing
spaces, 88 tube wells, 10 water treatment plans, 5,800 garbage bins,
36,500 hygiene kits per month, and 455 water tanks with a
1,000-liter capacity. The camps also lack effective water
distribution systems to ensure that water is available in every
section of the camp. Challenges to closing these gaps are vehicle
access restrictions, overcrowding, and lack of WASH supplies and
equipment, as well as the lack of organized hygiene promotion
campaigns and the lack of a surveillance system to track morbidity
and mortality rates for WASH-related illnesses.


5. The USAID/OFDA regional advisor reported that WASH is the most
critical sector in Manik Farm camp, with current levels of support
well below Sphere standards. Moreover, USAID/OFDA is extremely
concerned about a lack of sufficient water sources within Manik Farm
to meet demand and the resulting need to truck in water from
outlying areas, which is inefficient and costly.

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Shelter and Settlements
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6. According to UNHCR, while 8,800 emergency shelters and 14,000
tents have been erected, an additional 15,000 emergency shelters are
needed. This, coupled with insufficient level, cleared land for
erecting shelters, is causing overcrowding. In addition, existing
camps will become even more congested as schools serving as transit
sites are emptied and IDPs are transferred to Manik Farm. Although
the regional advisor was not able to conduct a thorough assessment
of shelter and settlements during the visit to Manik Farm camp,
USAID/OFDA has received multiple reports about the shortage of
level, cleared land for IDP camps and is concerned about potential
shortages of shelter space if IDPs remain in camps for more than a
few months.

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Emergency Relief Supplies
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7. UNHCR has noted that the humanitarian community has yet to
assess the needs for transitional and return kits for resettlement
of IDPs. Thus, gaps in emergency relief supplies to support returns
and resettlement programs are currently unknown.

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Emergency Food Assistance
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8. While UNHCR did not report on gaps in emergency food assistance,
USAID/FFP staff in Sri Lanka notes that there have been no gaps in
dry rations provided by WFP, much of which is USAID Title II food
aid. WFP has arrangements with 16 NGOs to distribute these rations
using communal cooking arrangements. Current food aid issues
include an inequitable provision of complementary foods among the
different IDP camps and within large camps; a looming, overall
shortfall in complementary food due to lack of resources; and a
proposed transition from communal to individual cooking in some
areas. In addition, WFP anticipates pipeline breaks in dry rations
starting in September.

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Protection
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9. While the international community has made progress in
implementing protection programs, enhanced protection presence -- in
the form of additional staff and agencies able to access new IDP
sites -- is required. Also lacking are equitable and uniformly
applied GoSL policies on compensation and restitution. Protection
concerns raised by UNHCR include congestion of sites, remaining
military presence inside sites, lack of freedom of movement for
IDPs, limitation on IDPs' access to services, restrictions on the
humanitarian community's access, child-headed households, former
child combatants, and the presence of vulnerable children including
unaccompanied minors.


10. The USAID/OFDA regional advisor also reported significant gaps
in the provision of protection services to IDP populations and noted
that limited access and overcrowding in Manik Farm have magnified
protection issues. The humanitarian community cannot precisely
establish what is happening in terms of protection at present, given
access constraints and instructions that IDPs have received from
camp management not to speak with humanitarian aid workers. The
regional advisor reported, however, that members of the humanitarian
community have defined this crisis as primarily a protection crisis.


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Health
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11. UNHCR did not report on health gaps or challenges. The
USAID/OFDA regional advisor reported that minimal health services
are available in Manik Farm, and nearby hospitals struggle to cope
with the massive numbers of war-wounded patients who have recently
sought medical attention. The reluctance of the GoSL to use
expatriate medical facilities and staff inside the camps, as well as
vastly understaffed and ill-equipped Ministry of Health referral
hospitals, are exacerbating this situation. More problematic are
the lack of a surveillance system to track morbidity and mortality
rates and the lack of mobile units to identify sick or wounded camp
inhabitants and either treat them on the spot or transfer them to
the nearest health clinic.

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Nutrition
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12. The humanitarian community has implemented numerous nutrition
programs and is supporting various nutrition centers and outreach
activities. However, UNHCR reported that in order to ensure the
appropriate functioning of such centers and outreach activities,
more than 150 staff members from non-governmental organizations need
training on nutrition in emergencies, including community-based
management of severe acute malnutrition. An additional 20 nutrition
rehabilitation centers, attached to each primary health center and
referral health center, are necessary. Challenges to filling gaps
include difficulties expanding nutrition services, accessing camps,
and obtaining the necessary approvals.


13. The USAID/OFDA regional advisor reported that the nutritional
status of newly arrived IDPs is not good. The regional advisor also
has received reports of significant numbers of malnourished
children. Hospitals in both Vavuniya and Mannar, which have
accepted the majority of patients from the IDP population,
confidentially report that up to 70 percent of the children admitted
are malnourished. Additional nutrition staff are needed to man the
16 U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) Nutrition Centers; to date, the
Ministry of Health has not been able to provide the necessary
doctors and nurses. Bringing in expatriate health staff remains a
sensitive and largely insurmountable issue.

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Agriculture
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14. According to UNHCR, gaps in the agriculture sector include the
lack of a comprehensive needs assessment in northern Sri Lanka, low
levels of cluster participation and coordination, severely weakened
food production capacities, and the international community's focus
on meeting humanitarian needs rather than promoting early recovery.
Challenges to filling gaps include insufficient funding, the need to
integrate the agriculture sector into resettlement planning, the
impact of prolonged drought, accessing and selecting beneficiaries,
accessing arable land, and identifying beneficiary needs. The
regional advisor was not able to assess needs in the agriculture
sector.

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Mine Clearance
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15. UNHCR did not report on gaps in mine action but did indicate
that challenges include delays in GoSL approval procedures and
security clearances, limited access, extended time required for
survey, and funding shortfalls. The regional advisor did not assess
needs for mine clearance. However, USAID/Sri Lanka notes that mine
action continues to be piecemeal and not in support of an
articulated returns framework, making it difficult for mine action
agencies to increase staffing and for donors to program additional
resources.

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Education
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16. At present, gaps in emergency education include insufficient
amount of space for programs. Temporary learning spaces have been
erected, and these spaces are typically used for education in the
morning and child-friendly and community activities in the evening.
The dense population of school-aged children has required that
education take place in shifts and is precluding communities from
using the spaces for child-friendly and community activities. An
additional 373 temporary learning spaces are required to provide
minimal facilities for all displaced children. Challenges to
filling gaps include lack of funding, teaching materials, personnel,
and awareness among stakeholders regarding the importance of
emergency education, according to UNHCR. The regional advisor did
not assess emergency education needs and gaps.

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USAID/OFDA Efforts to Meet Humanitarian Gaps
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17. USAID/OFDA staff in Sri Lanka are continuing to assess
humanitarian conditions and work with partner organizations to meet
urgent needs. Through the umbrella grant with the United Methodist
Committee on Relief (UMCOR) in particular, USAID/OFDA is able to
rapidly respond to changing humanitarian conditions on the ground
and fill gaps in as few as three days after confirming reports of
emergency needs.

MOORE