Addendum on Food: Report Number One on Interagency Policy

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000775 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS AND PRM STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID AID/W FOR ANE/SCA AID/W FOR DCHA/FFP FOR JDWORKEN, JBORNS AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA FOR ACONVERY, RTHAYER AND RKERR BANGKOK FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA WBERGER KATHMANDU FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA MROGERS AND POL SBERRY USMISSION GENEVA FOR NKYLOH USUN FOR ECOSOC DMERCADO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PREL PREF PGOV PHUM MOPS ASEC CE SUBJECT: Addendum on Food: Report Number One on Interagency Policy Committee (IPC) Benchmarks for Sri Lanka REF: A) Colombo 753 B) State 69689 C) Colombo 691 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: This is an addendum to the July Interagency Policy Committee Benchmarks Report for Sri Lanka, adding information about humanitarian food supplies to the IDP camps. ¶2. (SBU) Benchmark: Acute humanitarian needs are met with dignity. Key areas are food, water/sanitation, health, shelter, and protection. -Status on Food: With the recently announced second tranche of P.L. 480 Title II emergency food aid this year to Sri Lanka, USAID's contribution in support of IDPs in 2009 is now 38,550 metric tons of mixed commodities, valued at more than USD 29 million. These resources form part of the dry rations that IDPs receive in the temporary camps in the North. These rations are distributed by the U.N. World Food Program (WFP),in consultation with government officials and through NGO implementing partners. To date, there have been few complaints about the timely availability of these dry rations - calculated, at international standards, to meet the minimum daily nutritional requirements of IDPs living in camps. WFP and its implementing partners have full access to all the IDP camps and are able to monitor the distribution and, to a lesser degree, the post-distribution use of food aid. The recent shift from communal to individual family cooking in many of the IDP camps, especially as the camps are decongested to smaller, more remote sites, has presented a number of logistics challenges in terms of transport and food storage. The primary concern, however, has been the depletion of INGO and NGO resources to provide complementary food, primarily condiments, fresh produce, and other sources of protein such as canned fish. Though not considered essential by international survival ration standards, complementary food has taken on political importance. The GSL is concerned that a shortage or the elimination of complementary food items from the daily diet will sow discontent among the IDP population. Since complementary food is not considered life-saving, and because of its cost, the donor community has almost uniformly refused to provide resources to purchase these items. MOORE