VZCZCXRO5569
OO RUEHBI RUEHLMC
DE RUEHLM #0913/01 1770328
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 260328Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6354
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 3218
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 5326
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0238
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 7219
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3866
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1138
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 3939
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 1149
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3023
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 7809
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 5465
RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO 0277
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2161

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000913 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS AND PRM 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID 
AID/W FOR ANE/SAA 
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA FOR RTHAYER AND BDEEMER 
BANGKOK FOR OFDA TDOLAN 
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA WBERGER 
USMISSION GENEVA FOR KYLOH 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS AND PRM 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID 
AID/W FOR ANE/SAA 
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA FOR RTHAYER AND BDEEMER 
BANGKOK FOR OFDA ? TDOLAN 
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA ? WBERGER 
USMISSION GENEVA FOR KYLOH 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PINS PREF PGOV EAID CE
SUBJECT: SUMMARY OF UNITED NATIONS REVISED COMMON 
HUMANITARIAN ACTION PLAN 2007, SRI LANKA 
 
¶1. (U) The Interagency Standing Committee Country Team 
held a mid-year review meeting on the revised Common 
Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) 2007 for the 
international donor community on June 14, 2007. The U.S., 
Japan, UK, South Korea, Australia, Canada, India, France, 
Sweden, and others other donors were represented.  From 
USAID, Mission Director Rebecca Cohn and Humanitarian 
Assistance Program Manager John Lee Park attended the 
meeting, which identified humanitarian gaps and needs in 
response to the emergency humanitarian crisis in the 
North and East of Sri Lanka. 
 
¶2. (U) The CHAP is a comprehensive approach to improve the 
coordination of the UN and humanitarian organizations? 
efforts, as well as a a platform for advocacy and 
fundraising.  Each of the responsible UN agencies made 
presentations on on the current situation and future 
needs in the following sectors: water and sanitation, 
education, food, shelter, protection, health and 
nutrition, agriculture, economic recovery and 
infrastructure, security and coordination and support 
services. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The UN agencies emphasized that the future 
emergency response will need to address support for early 
recovery for recently returned internally displaced 
persons (IDPs) in the East and pre-positioning emergency 
supplies for the North for probable new displacements. 
UNHCR and ICRC are forecasting as many as 350,000 new 
IDPs in the North in the event of intensified fighting 
near the Mannar, Vavuniya, Jaffna, and Trincomalee areas, 
which border the  Liberation Tigers of Tamil of Eelam 
(LTTE)-controlled territory. 
 
¶4. (SBU) UN agencies said that the mid-year CHAP for 2007 
justifies additional funds in order to assist the present 
234,500 IDPs and 70,500 recently returned IDPs, and to 
prepare for new IDPs in the North.  The original 
requirement to meet the needs of all sectors for 2007 was 
roughly $64.5 million, and commitments to the original 
CHAP by 13 donors reached over $46.3 million.  The CHAP?s 
updated requirement for 2007 is now approximately $107.2 
million, translating into an unmet need of $61.8 million. 
 
¶5. (U) Most sectors requested 50% above original 
requests.  Several sectors, such as Health (implemented 
by the World Health Organization) and Economic Recovery 
and Infrastructure (implemented by the UNDP) received 
little or no donor support in the last year.  The UNDP 
stated that a proper recovery from disaster must include 
a transition from emergency relief to sustainable 
 
COLOMBO 00000913  002 OF 002 
 
 
development, but which has not occurred in Sri Lanka. As 
of the date of this meeting, the UNDP has not received 
any funds under the CHAP.  Food and nutrition 
(implemented by the World Food Program) is a priority for 
IDPs and requires the largest amount of funds.  Food for 
Peace has recently contributed $5.1 million to World Food 
Program under the CHAP and reduced unmet requirements to 
$16 million. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment: With a rapidly changing humanitarian 
environment and rising conflict, there is a financial gap 
in all sectors.  It is necessary to continue supporting 
IDPs in their present place of displacement, provide 
assistance to IDPs returning to their places of origin, 
and pre-position relief items for contingency planning 
for the North.  OFDA and Food for Peace have provided 
important assistance and strong collaboration during the 
ongoing humanitarian crisis.  USAID looks forward to 
their mission to Sri Lanka July 6-12 and the possibility 
of offering further, badly needed support to meet 
humanitarian requirements in Sri Lanka. 
 
Moore