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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka ¨C The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) has launched a five-year ¡°Sow and Grow¡± project, supported by USD 10 million from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), in partnership with the government of Sri Lanka.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka ¨C The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) welcomes a timely contribution of USD 500,000 from the Government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) to deliver, urgent lifesaving cash assistance to families devastated by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka ¨C?The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) has scaled up its emergency response in Sri Lanka following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwa, thanks to a generous AUD 1.5 million contribution from the Government of Australia. This support is enabling Â鶹ÊÓƵ to deliver life-saving fortified food and provide cash assistance to families most affected by the disaster.

COLOMBO, Sri-Lanka¨C United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) welcomes a contribution of US $2.7 million from global fashion brand, Michael Kors to bolster Sri Lanka¡¯s National School Meals Programme. The support, through the brand¡¯s long-running ¡®Watch Hunger Stop campaign¡¯ will contribute to Â鶹ÊÓƵ¡¯s Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) initiative.

COLOMBO ¨C The newly-appointed Representative and Country Director of the United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) in Sri Lanka, Philip Ward, has formally presented his letter of credentials to Hon. Vijitha Herath, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, at the Ministry premises.

COLOMBO ¨C The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ), together with the Ministry of Environment have launched a campaign to reintroduce nutritious, underutilised traditional crops into daily diets.

NEW DELHI/COLOMBO¡ªToday, the United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) and the Ministries of Environment of India and Sri Lanka launched the ¡®Adaptation for Resilience¡¯ (ADAPT4R) project. The five-year initiative aims to improve food security and strengthen the livelihoods of farming communities facing climate-induced challenges in the two countries.

COLOMBO ¨C The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) handed over a substantial consignment of 4,700mt of soya beans and maize to Sri Lanka Thriposha Limited, to support the continuation of the Thriposha fortified food programme. The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) facilitated the handover at a special event held at the Thriposha factory.

An estimated 17 percent of the population is in moderate acute food insecurity in Sri Lanka, especially in the Northern, Eastern and Central Provinces, indicating an improvement compared to 2022.

COLOMBO: Food security in Sri Lanka is improving across all provinces, according to the Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) report jointly carried out in February/March 2023 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ). The report estimates 3.9 million people or 17 percent of the population is in moderate acute food insecurity which is nearly a 40 percent decrease from June/July last year. Nearly 10,000 people are severely acute food-insecure, down from 66,000 people last year.

COLOMBO ¨C The Government of Japan has contributed an additional US$6.6 million to the United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) to provide critical food and nutrition assistance to over one million Sri Lankans.

COLOMBO ¨C The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) welcomed Stephanie Wilcock, Director for Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)¡¯s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) on a visit to Sri Lanka. During the visit, Wilcock met with poor rural communities to understand their food and nutrition needs, and how Â鶹ÊÓƵ¡¯s US-funded programmes will help them overcome challenges brought on by the economic crisis.

COLOMBO ¨C The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) in Sri Lanka today acknowledged a recent contribution of CHF 800,000 (approximately US$802,000) from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) at a special event held at the Embassy of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The funding is being used to provide much-needed cash and other assistance to improve food security among rural farming communities affected by the country¡¯s economic crisis.

COLOMBO ¨C?The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) in Sri Lanka welcomed Dustin Shiau, Senior Regional Program Officer of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)¡¯s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), on a visit to Sri Lanka. He met with food-insecure communities and heard first-hand accounts of the difficulties they are facing and how USAID and Â鶹ÊÓƵ support has helped provide regular meals for their families.

COLOMBO ¨C The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) in Sri Lanka welcomed a contribution of EUR 500,000 (approximately LKR 190 million) from France towards its emergency response for children and families affected by the country¡¯s worst economic crisis in decades. Around 9,000 families facing high levels of food insecurity will receive nutritious foods to help them feed their under-five children.

COLOMBO, 28 September 2022 ¨C The United States Permanent Representative to the UN Agencies in Rome, Ambassador Cindy McCain concluded a two-day official visit to the North Western and Central Provinces of Sri Lanka today. Accompanied by the United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, Ambassador McCain visited several projects of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

COLOMBO ¨C The first consignment from an Australian donation totaling AUD22 million (approximately USD15 million) has arrived in Sri Lanka and will soon be distributed to those most affected by the ongoing economic crisis. The consignment, consisting of 600 metric tonnes of rice, forms part of a larger consignment of rice, pulses and cooking oil, due to arrive in the country soon.

30 percent of the population are experiencing acute food insecurity and will likely deteriorate further unless urgent assistance is provided.

COLOMBO ¨C An estimated 6.3 million people in Sri Lanka are facing moderate to severe acute food insecurity and their situation is expected to worsen if adequate life-saving assistance and livelihood support is not provided, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) warned today in a new report.

COLOMBO ¨C Amidst an unprecedented economic crisis that has left millions of Sri Lankans food insecure, John Aylieff, United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ), Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific concluded a two-day visit to Sri Lanka where Â鶹ÊÓƵ is stepping up its emergency operations.

COLOMBO ¨C The first tranche of food assistance pledged by the Government of Japan earlier this year has been provided through the United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) to Sri Lanka, where more than 6 million people ¨C nearly 30 percent of the population, are facing a worsening food crisis.

COLOMBO ¨C The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) has welcomed a critical contribution of NOK 5 million (approximately Rs 189 million, or US $500,000) from the Government of Norway to support Sri Lankans struggling to feed their families.

BANGKOK/COLOMBO ¨C The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) welcomed an AUD 22 million (US 15 million) contribution from the Government of Australia to help millions of Sri Lankans who are unable to afford food.

COLOMBO ¨C The Government of Japan today announced a USD 1.5million (LKR 600 million) funding to help the Government of Sri Lanka respond to the ongoing economic crisis. The funds will be used by the United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) to provide food assistance to children and families in need of support.

COLOMBO ¨C The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) is partnering with the Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) to hand over ownership of the Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network (SUN Business Network) in Sri Lanka. The handover will enable the SUN Business Network to scale up from its current member base of large private sector organizations to include Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).

COLOMBO ¨C The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) is supporting the Government of Sri Lanka with food items and funding to provide school children with take-home rations in lieu of in-school meals.

COLOMBO ¨C The United Nations Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) and the Government of Sri Lanka welcome a funding of CAD 1 million (LKR 151 million) from Global Affairs Canada to help smallholder farmers cultivate nutritious crops for the National School Meal Programme.