CCHA plays critical role in ensuring Humanitarian assistance to
needy
Rasika Somarathna
The consultation committee for Humanitarian Assistance (CCHA)
continues to play a pivotal role in providing affective humanitarian
assistance in Sri Lanka said Chairman of the Committee Disaster
Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe
The Minister was responding to certain comments in the media
regarding the role of Consultative Committee for Humanitarian
Assistance.
Minister Samarasinghe said the organization had played a critical
role in ensuring humanitarian assistance to the most needy promptly and
in a coordinated manner.
A recent newspaper article quoting a report by an Inter Agency
Standing Committee questioned the effectiveness of CCHA in dealing with
protection issues in the North and East.
The report had stated that while it appreciates the role of CCHA the
protection issues were not adequately addressed.
The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, Neil Buhne responding
to the article has stated “since its creation in October 2006 the IASC
has found the CCHA to be the most effective coordination mechanism open
to the Government and international community”.
“Though both the main committee and sub committees dealing in
assistance issues the CCHA has enhanced cooperation so that more people
were reached more effectively through a range of humanitarian programs
over the last 15 months” Buhne has said.
Minister Samarasinghe also noted that the Government had facilitated
the visit of the UN Secretary General Representative on the human rights
of IDPs Walter Kalin, demonstrating its consistent policy of openness,
cooperation and constructive engagement with UN mechanisms.
During his visit he had commended the Government stating that
considerable efforts had been made to assist the IDPs while noting the
complexity of the displaced people in the country. He had also advised
to make the efforts sustainable.
Commenting further on the role of CCHA Minister Samarasinghe
emphasised that the Government’s priority in 2008 was to make mechanisms
such as CCHA even more effective.
The CCHA enables international and Government partners to work
together to consider and resolve key humanitarian issues, the Minister
added.
The Minister emphasising his commitment stated “I am personally
committed to ensuring the protection of all displaced Sri Lankans.
Mechanisms such as the CCHA allow stakeholders to be mindful of our
security concerns, but at the same time ensure that they do not result
in trade off in terms of human rights of conflict affected people” the
Minister said.
The CCHA is a high level policy making forum represented by
Government and includes secretaries of key Ministries including the
Defence Secretary, heads of UN agencies, the EU representatives of the
co-chairs and the ICRC. |