O 081115Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0090
INFO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY ATHENS 
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 
AMEMBASSY DHAKA 
AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 
AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 
AMEMBASSY OSLO 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO 
AMCONSUL CHENNAI 
AMCONSUL MUMBAI 
AMCONSUL TORONTO 
USEU BRUSSELS
USMISSION GENEVA 
HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
DIA WASHINGTON DC
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
SECDEF WASHDC
CDRUSARPAC FT SHAFTER HI//APCW/APOP//
CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J3/J332/J52//

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. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Conflict and Displacement in Sri Lanka 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
----------------------- 
Shelter and Settlements 
----------------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
------------------------- 
Emergency Relief Supplies 
------------------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
------------------------- 
Emergency Food Assistance 
------------------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
---------- 
Protection 
---------- 
 
¶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. 
 
 
------ 
Health 
------ 
 
¶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. 
 
--------- 
Nutrition 
--------- 
 
¶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. 
 
----------- 
Agriculture 
----------- 
 
¶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. 
 
-------------- 
Mine Clearance 
-------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
--------- 
Education 
--------- 
 
¶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. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
USAID/OFDA Efforts to Meet Humanitarian Gaps 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶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